Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on Thursday asked House GOP leaders to form a temporary select committee to investigate what he called “the money, influence, and power behind the radical left’s assault on America and the rule of law,” a request that came a day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a college event in Utah.
In a letter to House Republican leaders, Roy cited a string of violent incidents and developments he said reflect a ‘‘sustained breakdown of law and order’’ fueled by what he characterized as an anti‑American ideology. He attributed targeted attacks and what he called a volatile political environment to left‑wing groups and other entities, and urged congressional leaders to "follow the money" to identify and stop coordinated assaults on Americans and the rule of law.
Roy pointed to the 2024 assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump, the 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball practice, and the killing of Charlie Kirk as examples he said demonstrate a pattern. He wrote that the Southern Poverty Law Center’s listing of the Family Research Council and Kirk on what he called a “notorious ‘Hate Map’” was followed by shootings toward each. Roy also named Antifa, George Soros and a group he identified as the Wren Collective, accusing such networks of organizing and funding campaigns that attack law enforcement, influence local prosecutors and judges, and contribute to public safety crises.
Roy framed his request as a law‑enforcement and oversight effort, saying it was needed to identify the sources of funding and influence that, in his view, have enabled political violence and the erosion of public order. He wrote that the committee should be a select panel to examine “numerous attacks on our way of life, the destruction of the rule of law and the murder of innocent Americans, prominent and unknown alike.”
Charlie Kirk, 31, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck and killed during an on‑campus appearance in Utah. Gov. Spencer Cox described the killing as a politically motivated assassination. The shooting has prompted expressions of grief across the political spectrum and renewed calls from lawmakers for measures to curb political violence.
A day earlier, police in Washington responded to what was reported as a possible bomb threat at Democratic National Committee headquarters; authorities later said that threat was not credible. In addition to the attacks Roy cited, a Minnesota state legislator was killed in her home earlier this year, an incident that authorities said involved a disguised assailant.
Roy paid tribute to Kirk on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday evening, saying lawmakers should be able to speak freely without fear of violence. “We should be able to speak freely and speak with passion and regard about what we believe, without it coming to that,” Roy said, adding that the nation’s founders frequently clashed but were bound by shared ideals.
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Wren Collective and representatives associated with George Soros and the Open Society Foundations but had not received responses by the time of publication. The allegations Roy made in his letter reflect his view of the causes of recent violence and have not been substantiated by the oversight mechanism he is proposing.
It was not immediately clear whether House Republican leaders would act on Roy’s request to create the select committee. The proposal adds to broader congressional debate about how to respond to politically motivated violence and how to balance investigations into private funding and advocacy groups with protections for free speech and civic organizing.
The request from Roy arrives as local and federal authorities continue to investigate the Utah shooting and as members of both parties call for measures to reduce threats against public figures. Congressional leaders will decide whether to convene a select committee, an action that would set the scope and resources for any formal probe and could prompt testimony and subpoenas if it proceeds.
Roy’s letter explicitly linked the requested probe to recent high‑profile incidents and to broader concerns about public safety and the rule of law, asking Republican leaders to take what he described as necessary legal steps to identify perpetrators and stop coordinated attacks. The House has previously formed select committees to investigate specific matters; any new panel would require leadership approval to be established and to define its mandate.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern about the rise in political threats and the safety of officials and activists, while also warning against conflating advocacy organizations or political disagreement with criminal activity without evidence. Investigations into funding and influence typically involve oversight subpoenas, financial records and testimony from individuals and organizations identified as potential actors in alleged networks. The scope and timing of any such inquiries remain to be determined.