Charlie Kirk Branded 'Human Garbage' Over Damar Hamlin Remarks

Outgoing Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) bashed conservative activist Charlie Kirk for his comments seemingly fueling anti-vaccine conspiracy theories after football star Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during the first quarter of a match against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.

Hamlin received on-field medical attention for more than half an hour before being taken to a local hospital, where he's now in a critical condition.

According to a statement by the Buffalo Bills, his heartbeat was restored on the field.

In a tweet, Kirk claimed that the collapse of the 24-year-old Buffalo Bills player fits in a series of recent incidents involving "athletes dropping suddenly," something he said has become an "all too familiar sight right now."

Kirk's comment—as many responding to his tweet picked up on—fuels fears and concerns over COVID-19 vaccinations making people sick, a theory that anti-vaccine proponents in the U.S. and the rest of the world have been pushing forward for the past couple of years.

"You are absolutely the biggest piece of human garbage that can possibly exist right now. I literally think you are done now," Kinzinger wrote on Twitter. "Using this tragedy for your BS lies is sick."

The representative, who served on the Jan. 6 committee, also attacked other conservatives making similar claims, including retired professional boxer Joey Gilbert, far-right political activist Lauren Witzke, and right-wing media personality Stew Peters.

"Prior to 2021, Athletes collapsing on the filed was NOT a normal event. This is becoming an undeniable (and extremely concerning) pattern," Witzke wrote on Twitter, adding some syringe emojis.

"There have been too many recent #diedsuddenly cases to deny it anymore. THIS IS NOT NORMAL," wrote Gilbert.

Sharing a post collecting the messages of Kirk, Witzke, Gilbert, and Peters by attorney Ron Filipkowski, Kinzinger wrote: "Sick disgusting human beings. This isn't politics this is straight up heartless, cold, evil."

Kirk, the founder of conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA) and its affiliate Turning Point Action (TPA), has been promoting vaccine resistance among youth, trying to rally young people against getting vaccinated.

Since 2021, Kirk has shared unverified reports of side effects allegedly caused by the COVID-19 vaccines, once saying that he wasn't "anti-vaccine" in general, but that he was "against the mandating of the [COVID-19] vaccine."

He said that he chose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

In a video posted on Facebook in October 2022 titled "Exposing What the Media Won't Tell You About COVID Vaxx Side Effects," Kirk claimed that the vaccines were developed "too fast" and were "rushed into market" without proper trials and checks.

He also claimed that the COVID-19 vaccines have caused an "unusual spike in vaccine adverse events, in myocarditis, in heart-related issues."

This claim, as well as the previous one about vaccines being developed too quickly, was labeled as "misleading" by Health Feedback, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to science education.

The NFL game was suspended about an hour after Hamlin's collapse. Fans are waiting outside the hospital where the Buffalo Bills player is recovering, holding candles and wishing Hamlin a speed recovery.

Hamlin's representative Jordon Rooney wrote on Twitter that the player's "vitals are back to normal and they have put him to sleep to put a breathing tube down his throat.

"They are currently running tests. We will provide updates as we have them."

UPDATE, 1/3/2023 9:50 a.m. ET time: This article has been updated to include similar comments to that made by Kirk from other conservative figures.