University of Washington Probes Researcher’s Facebook Remark Referencing Charlie Kirk Assassination Suspect
The University of Washington says it is investigating microbiology research staffer Mara Maughan after a Facebook comment directed at school‑choice advocate Corey DeAngelis read, “May there be tyler robinsons for you all,” a reference to Tyler Robinson, who is charged with assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in 2025. Maughan, listed on the UW Department of Microbiology site as an RSE1 research employee and self‑identified in another post as a 'trans vaccine scientist,' allegedly made the remark in response to DeAngelis criticizing a Democratic state senator for refusing to acknowledge biological sex differences. DeAngelis told Fox News the comment exemplifies violent rhetoric on the left that 'normalizes political violence' against conservatives and called on UW to 'condemn and discipline' such behavior. Accuracy in Media’s president, who has targeted UW over what he calls campus radicalism, seized on the case and argued federal funding should be revoked, while the university confirmed it is looking into the matter but has not announced disciplinary action. The episode highlights how the Kirk assassination and broader surge in threats against public figures are feeding a volatile fight over academic speech, online harassment and where the line lies between protected expression and incitement.
📌 Key Facts
- Mara Maughan, an RSE1 research staffer in the University of Washington’s Department of Microbiology, is under university investigation over a Facebook comment.
- In a reply to Corey DeAngelis, Maughan wrote, 'May there be tyler robinsons for you all,' referencing Tyler Robinson, who is charged with assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025.
- DeAngelis and Accuracy in Media are publicly pressuring UW to condemn and discipline Maughan, framing the comment as endorsing political assassination of conservatives.
- UW confirmed it is investigating but has not detailed potential consequences; Maughan’s position is a unionized research role reportedly paying roughly $4,000–$5,000 per month with benefits.
📊 Relevant Data
85% of Americans say politically motivated violence is increasing in the United States, with nearly identical shares among Republicans (86%) and Democrats (85%).
Political violence is up, most Americans say, but they disagree why — Pew Research Center
Sixty percent of faculty in higher education now identify as 'liberal' or 'far left,' representing a significant left-leaning supermajority.
The Hyperpoliticization of Higher Ed: Trends in Faculty Political Ideology, 1989–2014 — The Independent Review
One in three college students believe that using violence to stop campus speech is acceptable to some degree, with 2% deeming it 'always acceptable' and 13% 'sometimes acceptable.'
1 in 3 students say some level of violence acceptable to stop campus speech: survey — The College Fix
As of spring 2025, the rate of non-cisgender identification on U.S. college campuses ranges between 4.7% and 6.7%, which is higher than the general U.S. adult population rate of approximately 1.6% for transgender identification.
Transgender identification in college youth is at an all-time high but retention in STEM remains a challenge — Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine
Nearly a third of Americans (30%) say people may have to resort to violence in order to get the country back on track.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"The piece uses a University of Washington episode to argue that campus tolerance of extremists and insufficient administrative responses are allowing terror‑sympathetic influences on students and calls for firmer institutional action."
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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