Right-wing internet personality Ben Bergquam on Thursday filmed outside of Gov. JB Pritzker’s home and invited his followers to “take action” after the murder of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, sparking concerns for the Democratic governor’s safety.
“Made a stop by Governor Pritzker’s house in Chicago today,” Bergquam says in a video with Pritzker’s Gold Coast home in the background. “If you love America and the assassination of Charlie Kirk doesn’t inspire you to take action, I don’t know what will!”
Sources close to the governor told the Sun-Times that the video has prompted additional concerns over Pritzker’s safety. The Illinois State Police Executive Protection Unit currently provides 24-hour security for the governor, his family and the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield.
In the video, Bergquam notes Pritzker has private security and is “protected,” but says, “Chicago is screwed.” Bergquam calls Kirk’s death “the direct result of leftist Democrat policies, who took God out of society, replaced God with government,” and a “direct result of why we see transgenderism and why we see babies murdered and celebrated as so called feminism.”
Bergquam, a correspondent for the right-wing news channel Real America’s Voice, has more than 177,000 followers on Instagram. He is currently embedded with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as they make arrests in Chicago as part of President Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz.”
While Kirk’s assassination prompted some unifying calls against political violence, Trump on Wednesday night blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s death.
Bergquam said he’s upset that Pritzker blamed Kirk and Trump “for the violence that we see.” He ends the video by saying, “God bless Charlie Kirk’s family. If you’re not inspired now, I don’t know what it’s gonna take. Better get up. Better get active.”
In responding to Kirk’s shooting, Pritzker on Wednesday acknowledged recent high-profile acts of political violence and blamed Trump for stirring up violence, using his decision to pardon people who were charged or convicted for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol as an example.
”...Political violence has been ratcheting up in this country. We saw the shootings, the killings in Minnesota. We’ve seen other political violence occur in other states, and I would just say, it’s got to stop. And I think there are people who are fomenting it in this country. I think the president’s rhetoric often foments it,” Pritzker said on Wednesday. “We’ve seen the January 6th rioters who clearly, you know, have tripped a new era of political violence. And the president, what did he do? he pardoned them. I mean, what kind of signal does that send to people who want to perpetrate political violence? not a good one.”
“Godless, leftist policies are the problem. Evil is the problem, and it’s politicians like Gov. Pritzker....that are the problem,” Bergquam says in the video.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the video.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said the video near Pritzker’s home “escalates tension, spreads fear and foments violence to our community.”
“Whether you consider this behavior intimidation, doxing, or an outright call for further violence, it is unacceptable,” Welch said in a statement. “We showed this week that people from across the spectrum want to bring down the temperature and step back from the edge before it’s too late; that starts when we all call out and turn away from extremism, dehumanizing rhetoric, and the politics of deliberate cruelty.”
Kirk’s assassination has prompted worries about copycat attacks.
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have recently canceled events following Kirk’s murder, citing concerns about copycat violence. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said she had postponed two events in North Carolina this weekend following the assassination of Kirk. And Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, said that for now, she was canceling all outdoor and public events.
Contributing: Mitchell Armentrout
