'Witch hunt': School board member threatened after Kirk post was badly misconstrued

After Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in Utah, countless Democrats—from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) to former President Joe Biden to California Gov. Gavin Newsom — wholeheartedly condemned the killing. But the Trump Administration and many of its MAGA allies conflated criticism of Kirk's politics with celebrating his murder.

In Pennsylvania, one of the people who is facing threats after disagreeing with Kirk's views — even though she never condoned his murder in any way — is Homer-Center School District board member Misty Hunt.

In an article published on September 23, The Guardian's Ramon Antonio Vargas reports, "A member of a Pennsylvania school board says she is stepping back from her duties — and has been grappling with threats to her safety — after a 'one down, hundreds to go' social media post about windblown milkweed seeds was misconstrued as celebrating the killing of far-right pundit Charlie Kirk. Homer-Center School District board member Misty Hunt uploaded the post in question on 10 September, the same day Kirk was shot to death by a sniper while speaking at Utah Valley University (UVU)."

Hunt, however, forcefully spoke out against Kirk's murder in a September 10 post on Facebook.

Hunt wrote, "To my community: I am sorry. Sorry that a post of mine was linked to a terrible situation. It was never my intention. For those who really know me, you know I can be wild at times but not like this. And for those who are calling for my undoing — you don’t know me or what is in my heart. But thank you for the assumption. And thank you for the witch hunt. You didn’t ask for clarification. And now you’re calling for me to resign and to be fired from a job where I constantly make kids smile. I am a human being too."

Read Ramon Antonio Vargas' full article for The Guardian at this link.