Van Jones Mounts Remarkable Defense of Charlie Kirk Live on CNN, Shares Message Charlie Sent Him the Day Before His Death

The assassination of Charlie Kirk has forced uncomfortable truths into the spotlight — not only about the man himself but also about the state of the American left.

For once, a CNN commentator showed something rare among the mainstream media: a moment of honesty. On Friday, left-wing analyst Van Jones acknowledged that Kirk reached out to him in the spirit of respectful dialogue just one day before he was murdered.

Appearing on Anderson Cooper 360, Jones recalled how he and Kirk had been engaged in a bitter dispute over the killing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, a white woman allegedly murdered by 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, a black man, on a Charlotte, North Carolina train. The racial implications had fueled a heated public clash.

“We were beefin’,” Jones admitted. “We were going at it online, on-air.”

But on Sept. 9, the day before his assassination, Kirk sent Jones a direct message on X with a very different tone:

“Hey, Van, I mean it. I’d love to have you on my show to have a respectful conversation about crime and race. I would be a gentleman as I know you would be as well. We can disagree about the issues agreeably.”

Jones said he didn’t even see the message until after Kirk had been killed. “And then, after he died — after he was murdered,” Jones said, “My team called and said, ‘Van, he was trying to reach you, man.’ … ‘What?'”

The CNN commentator then praised Kirk’s true intentions.

“And what was he doing? Dialogue. Let’s be gentlemen together. He says, ‘let’s disagree agreeably.’”

Jones reflected on the wider political climate: “So I’m sitting on this, and I’m watching the whole country talk about civil war, censorship, justifying murder — about this guy?”

To his credit, Jones openly rebuked the narrative being pushed by his own side. “He was not for censorship. He was not for civil war. He was not for violence. He was for dialogue, open debate and dialogue. Even with me. Even with me.”

Those words had to leave CNN’s liberal base stunned.

The Left’s Reaction: Smears and Celebrations

While Jones spoke candidly, other Democrats and left-wing celebrities have reacted to Kirk’s assassination with disgraceful cruelty. Some openly celebrated his death, while others smeared him in death with slanders and lies.

ABC indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel after he falsely claimed Kirk’s suspected killer was a Trump supporter. But Kimmel was far from alone. Former President Barack Obama, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) all joined the chorus of attacks, demonstrating that hatred of conservatives outweighs even basic human decency in today’s Democratic Party.

A Low Bar, but Courage Nonetheless

Van Jones is a man who has admitted to being a communist earlier in life, so conservatives are under no illusions about his worldview. But in a political climate where prominent Democrats satisfy their base by fueling division and celebrating violence, Jones’ admission matters.

He cleared a low bar — honesty and decency — but at least he cleared it. And at this moment in America, that still took courage.