Report: Charlie Kirk Rejected Netanyahu’s Funds, ‘Frightened’ of Israel Lobby Before Death

A Trump insider and long-time friend of murdered [conservative] influencer Charlie Kirk has told the Grayzone that Kirk’s burgeoning change of heart on Israeli influence over US politics provoked a backlash from Netanyahu’s allies that left him angry and ‘frightened’ of the Israel lobby after a seeming Israeli spying operation was uncovered.

According to [an unverified] source close to Kirk, Kirk rejected a huge offer of cash from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year for his ‘Turning Point USA’ (TPUSA), believed Netanyahu was trying to bring him to heel after he began to raise public questions over Israel’s “overwhelming influence in Washington” and had begun to “loathe” Netanyahu and his influence over Donald Trump’s appointments and decisions, which had led to Kirk warning Trump against attacking Iran to please Israel.

According to multiple reports, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu offered Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA $150 million in cash to adopt an even more ardently pro-Israel stance.

Kirk refused the money.

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Kirk’s new-found recognition of Israel’s influence led to him becoming the target of a “sustained private campaign of intimidation and free-floating fury by wealthy and powerful allies of Netanyahu”, and Kirk was frightened:

Kirk tried to underline his commitment to Israel, making a series of comments about the consistency and resoluteness of his devotion, but even the least criticism of Israel’s actions generated a mass backlash, as did his decision to host Dave Smith, a comedian and political commentator who has become increasingly critical of Israel during its genocide in Gaza, in a debate Kirk organised. As the Grayzone reported:

“He was being told what you’re not allowed to do, and it was driving him crazy,” Kirk’s friend recalled. The conservative youth leader was not only alienated by the hostile nature of the interactions, but “frightened” by the backlash.

The friend’s account dovetails with those of multiple right-wing commentators with access to Kirk. “I think, in the end, Charlie was going through a spiritual transformation,” Candace Owens, a conservative influencer who shifted decisively against Israel after October 7, reflected after her friend’s killing. “I know it, he was going through a lot. There was a lot of pressure, and it’s hard for me to watch the people who were pressuring him just say the things that they’re saying.”

(Read more from “Report: Charlie Kirk Rejected Netanyahu’s Funds, ‘Frightened’ of Israel Lobby Before Death” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr