Part Of The Problem — "My Texts From Charlie Kirk"

Date: September 17, 2025
Host: Dave Smith with co-host Robbie “The Fire” Bernstein
Podcast: GaS Digital Network

Overview

In this episode, Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein analyze the turbulent days following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Dave directly addresses audience pushback from the previous episode regarding speculation about Israeli involvement, shares personal insights from his encounters and text exchanges with Charlie Kirk, and reflects on the broader societal and political responses circulating in the aftermath. The episode also discusses Candace Owens's emotional tribute and call for transparency, the role of conspiracy theories, and battles over freedom of speech and anti-Semitism.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal Impact and Aftermath of Charlie Kirk's Assassination

• Dave checks in on his emotional state following the assassination and expresses relief there has been no retaliatory violence so far, praising public figures for urging calm.

  "I was really concerned... this is just a recipe for disaster. And that at least so far hasn't happened." — Dave (02:36)

• Dave credits Charlie’s Christian message for possibly de-escalating tensions.

2. Audience Backlash and Handling Conspiracy Theories

• Dave addresses a surge of audience comments, particularly accusations that he’s concealing the truth about alleged Israeli involvement.
  • Clarifies he has received no threats or calls ("I promise you...I have not gotten any phone calls or been threatened." — 05:07).
  • Insists he won’t withhold his honest thoughts for fear of alienating listeners.
• Robbie reflects on the reasonableness of skepticism, noting the leap from motive to unsupported certainty:

  "Everything is circumstantial evidence of that Israel might have had a motive... There is no circumstantial evidence of the actual crime..." — Robbie (12:12)

• Both hosts criticize the rush to certainty among the audience and reinforce the need for evidence.

3. Evidence (or Lack Thereof) Regarding Israeli Involvement

• Dave and Robbie examine the sources fueling the conspiracy narrative.
  • The much-cited Max Blumenthal article, which itself admits there's no concrete evidence.
  • Claims relayed via Infowars are approached with healthy skepticism.
  • Dave points out both Blumenthal and Ian Carroll (named sources for the theory) have backtracked or admitted overstatement.
  • Both express openness to new information but find little compelling at the moment.

  "You find me some evidence, I will happily take a look at it. Just as of right now, I'm seeing nothing." — Dave (08:40)

4. Candace Owens’s Livestream and Call for Transparency

• Dave describes Candace Owens’s emotionally charged livestream, highlighting her call for Dave and Tucker Carlson to reveal their private communications and observations of Charlie Kirk’s mindset regarding Israel.
  • He recounts their last in-person interaction—notes Charlie was friendly and diplomatic, signaling no drastic shift in public stance, but "vibe’d" that Charlie internally struggled with the topic (20:45).
  • Shares the context of green room discussions:

    "If I'm being completely honest, I got the impression that Charlie really kind of knew I was right... but that's purely just a vibe." — Dave (22:00)

5. Disclosure: Dave’s Texts from Charlie Kirk

• In response to Candace and audience pressure, Dave reads select text messages from Charlie Kirk:
  • April 13, 8:01pm:

    "Listen to you on Rogan. You did well. Despite me being more on the pro Israel side, very little I disagree with what you said... Keep up the good work." — Charlie Kirk (29:22)

    • Dave notes the significance: Charlie express agreement even while identifying as "more on the pro-Israel side," suggesting nuance in his stance.
  • May 22, 12:00pm:
    • Charlie shares a tweet mourning two murdered Israeli embassy staff but cautions against blaming Israel critics for the attack, further demonstrating a will for nuanced discussion.
    • Proposes a “fun, light-hearted, contrasting conversation on Israel.”
  • Dave reflects on the difficulty of reading correspondence from someone recently deceased and the importance of transparency when public accusations and historical memory are at stake.

6. Thoughts on Charlie Kirk’s Position on Israel

• Dave resists the claim that Charlie had fundamentally "flipped" on Israel, but presents the texts and conversations as evidence that Kirk was actively questioning, engaging, and seeking common ground with critics—a point he argues is absent from some narratives.
  • Emphasizes Charlie's desire to keep dialogue open and foster civil debate, even when fundamental disagreements remained.

  "There is some evidence that Charlie was struggling with this topic... finding some common ground with... harsh critics of Israel." — Dave (33:45)

  • Robbie jokes: “So Israel did do it,” poking fun at the conspiracy leaps (34:12).

7. Debating Candace Owens, Bill Ackman, and Truth-Telling

• Robbie and Dave discuss Candace’s on-the-record allegations about major donors and political pressure (e.g., Bill Ackman), noting that accusations need more direct receipts and evidence.
  • They critique the reliability of statements made by certain figures—especially Josh Hammer, who debated Dave and later contradicted private civility with public grandstanding:

    "All I'm saying is that I just went, 'Oh, that dude’s a snake. He’s a really dishonest fucking person.'" — Dave (39:38)

  • They urge listeners to wait for more facts to emerge, especially concerning the now-infamous meeting between Kirk and donors.

8. Weaponization of Charlie Kirk’s Legacy and "Hate Speech"

• The hosts highlight efforts to politically instrumentalize Kirk's death:

  • Play a clip of Pam Bondi demanding crackdowns on hate speech in the name of fighting anti-Semitism—without clear connection to the murder or supporting facts ([51:08 – 54:17]).

    "There's free speech and then there's hate speech, and there is no place… especially after what happened to Charlie in our society." — Pam Bondi

  • Dave sharply criticizes this leap, observing:

    "What does that have to do with any of this?… That’s the game they're trying to play here, and we should all stand in opposition to that." — Dave (54:43)

  • Robbie explains Bondi later clarified her statements to target incitements of "actual violence," though ambiguity remains.

• Dave and Robbie caution against conflating unpopular or extreme speech with violence and stress the dangers of government-empowered speech policing:

  "The term hate speech should never come out of a government employee's mouth, period..." — Dave (61:12)

9. On Trust, Conspiracies, and Public Leadership

• Dave comments on the erosion of trust in both media narratives and government investigation, saying this fosters wild conspiracy proliferation regardless of their plausibility.
• He critiques Donald Trump’s lack of gravitas in responding to Kirk’s killing and the presidential failure to seize the moment to reassure the nation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On assassination fallout:

  "At least so far there hasn't been violence and retaliation..." — Dave (02:36)

• On criticism from fans:

  "Rarely... have I seen a mutiny within my show's comment section." — Dave (03:17)

• On evidence:

  "If someone has the talk and I'm not included, I'm going to be offended..." — Robbie, joking about being left out of alleged threats (06:26)

• On Candace Owens’s emotional broadcast:

  "It was incredible... she is so clearly, like, really grieving for, like, someone who was like a brother to her." — Dave (12:59)

• On Charlie Kirk’s texts:

  "Despite me being more on the pro Israel side. Very little I disagree with what you said..." — Charlie Kirk (29:22, read by Dave)

• On the misuse of hate speech claims:

  "The term hate speech should never come out of a government employee's mouth, period..." — Dave (61:12)

• On public trust:

  "It is amazing how you see in a situation like this, that trust has just evaporated and nobody's going to believe what the goddamn government says..." — Dave (62:20)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Charlie's assassination & aftermath: 00:38 – 03:13
• Audience blowback on Israeli conspiracy: 03:13 – 08:41
• Discussion of Candace Owens’s episode: 12:59 – 20:45
• Details of green room with Charlie Kirk: 20:45 – 24:54
• Dave shares his texts from Charlie Kirk: 29:22 – 33:45
• Weaponization of Kirk’s legacy and anti-Semitism crackdown: 51:08 – 54:43
• Reflection on public leadership & trust: 61:12 – 63:53

Conclusion

Dave Smith’s "My Texts From Charlie Kirk" episode delivers an unflinching look at the aftermath of a political assassination, the dangers of conspiratorial thinking, and the weaponization of tragedy for political ends. He opens up about private interactions with Kirk to combat misrepresentations and reinforce a culture of transparency. The episode stands as a call for skepticism, honesty, and keeping the government out of the business of policing speech—even in emotionally charged moments of national crisis. The hosts urge their audience to resist herd logic, value dialogue, and demand evidence over emotionally appealing narratives.