BURSTHouse Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) on Wednesday invited the leaders of Discord, Reddit, Twitch and Steam to testify before the full committee next month in the wake of the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The hearing will focus on “the radicalization of online forum users, including instances of open incitement to commit politically motivated acts,” the committee announced on Wednesday.
Comer sent letters on Wednesday to Discord CEO Humam Sakhnini, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, Twitch Interactive CEO Dan Clancy and Valve Corporation President Gabe Newell to request their testimony at the hearing on Oct. 8.
“The politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk claimed the life of a husband, father, and American patriot,” Comer wrote in a statement announcing the hearing. “In the wake of this tragedy, and amid other acts of politically motivated violence, Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence.”
“To prevent future radicalization and violence, the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit must appear before the Oversight Committee and explain what actions they will take to ensure their platforms are not exploited for nefarious purposes,” Comer continued.
The Hill has reached out to the four organizations for a response.
Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at an event last week at Utah Valley University. State officials are seeking the death penalty in the case against 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson.
Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that Robinson appeared to confess to the killing in a Discord chat room hours before he was taken into custody by the FBI.
“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all,” Robinson said, according to the Post. “It was me at [Utah Valley University] yesterday. im sorry for all of this.”
The Post reported that Discord provided a copy of the message to authorities, citing a person familiar with the matter. Discord has said that an internal investigation found “no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said during congressional testimony on Tuesday that his agency is “investigating anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat.”
In another report from The New York Times, the suspect allegedly said, in a separate Discord chat on Thursday, that a “doppelganger” was trying to “get me in trouble,” when pressed by a forum user about physical similarities he shared with the person depicted in police photos of the wanted shooter.
The Times reported that chat had 20 users. But Patel said Tuesday that the FBI is pursuing “a lot more” than 20 users, adding, “We’re running them all down.”