A tense moment on Capitol Hill erupted into chaos Thursday afternoon after a silent prayer for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida who once worked for Kirk’s organization, lashed out at her Democratic colleagues after the 30-second moment of silence ended. “Y’all caused this!” she shouted across the chamber. Seconds later, she yelled again, “You f—ing own this!” as members gasped and the floor descended into shouting.
The clash began when Rep. Lauren Boebert asked Speaker Mike Johnson if someone could lead a prayer out loud instead of silently. “Silent prayers get silent results,” Boebert said. “Is there someone who can lead us in a moment of prayer out loud?” Democrats quickly objected, pointing out the House hadn’t paused for prayer earlier that day when a school shooting in Colorado left children dead.
That’s when Luna’s anger spilled over. Her shouts drowned out Johnson as he repeatedly banged his gavel and called for order. The speaker had interrupted ongoing House votes to hold the moment of silence, about an hour after Utah officials confirmed Kirk had been killed.
Kirk, 31, was gunned down while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. The father of two was answering a question about mass shootings when he was shot in the neck.
Earlier that same day, before Kirk’s death was confirmed, Luna posted on X that she “would not be here if Charlie Kirk had not gotten me involved.” But her tone changed drastically later in the afternoon. “Every damn one of you who called us fascists did this,” she wrote in all caps.
She accused Democrats of “doping up kids, cutting off their genitals, inciting violence by supporting orgs that exploit minorities, protecting criminals, and stirring hate.” She ended the post with, “I am done with the rhetoric this rotten House and corrupt media has caused.”
About an hour after that post, Luna was on the House floor directing her fury in person. One Republican colleague told Politico afterward, “This is disgusting.”
Luna, a second-term congresswoman, has tied herself closely to Donald Trump, and her loyalty hasn’t gone unnoticed. The former president posted on Truth Social after Kirk’s death, praising him by saying, “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Her outspoken allegiance to Trump even landed her in a South Park parody last month, with her character introduced after Randy Marsh asked, “What’s a sycophant?”
For Luna, the grief over Kirk’s death quickly turned into a fiery political confrontation. What began as a solemn moment meant to honor a slain conservative figure ended with lawmakers shouting, Democrats and Republicans accusing each other, and the House chamber struggling to keep order.