Congress Summons Valve, Twitch, Discord, and Reddit CEOs After Charlie Kirk Assassination

In a dramatic move that underscores the growing concern in Washington over the role of online spaces in fueling violence, the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has summoned the heads of several influential digital platforms to testify before Congress.

The decision follows the shocking assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which investigators allege was preceded by confessions and online postings from the suspected killer inside a popular chat service.

The committee, led by Chairman James Comer, announced that it has called on executives from Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit to attend a hearing on October 8. Among those invited are Humam Sakhnini, CEO of Discord; Gabe Newell, President of Valve, the company behind Steam; Dan Clancy, CEO of Twitch; and Steve Huffman, CEO of Reddit. They will be asked to address how their platforms may be contributing to the radicalization of users and what measures they are willing to implement to prevent extremist exploitation of their services.

The tragedy that set this hearing into motion occurred on September 10, when Kirk was fatally shot on the campus of Utah Valley University. The accused gunman, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, allegedly admitted responsibility in messages sent through Discord shortly before his arrest. A message reported by the BBC reads: “It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.” Robinson has since been charged with aggravated murder in Utah state court, and his case is expected to reignite debates around digital extremism.

Chairman Comer stated that the upcoming hearing will examine not just Kirk’s murder, but also broader patterns of political radicalization online. “The politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk claimed the life of a husband, father, and American patriot,” Comer remarked, emphasizing Congress’s responsibility to ensure digital companies are not turned into breeding grounds for violence. He added that preventing future tragedies requires a stronger partnership between lawmakers and platform operators to implement safeguards.

Each CEO is required to submit written testimony two days before the hearing and will be given the opportunity to present a five-minute opening statement before facing questions from lawmakers. Already, Discord has indicated that it welcomes the opportunity to participate, telling Reuters that it is committed to engaging policymakers on such critical issues. Reddit, meanwhile, has stressed that it found no direct evidence tying Robinson to its site, while pointing to its policies banning violent and hateful content.

The scrutiny comes at a time when lawmakers have been increasingly critical of large platforms for failing to curb extremist rhetoric. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia previously raised alarms about Valve’s Steam marketplace, alleging that it hosted thousands of groups promoting antisemitic and white supremacist propaganda. In an open letter, Warner pressed Gabe Newell to adopt stricter content moderation standards to bring Steam in line with industry peers, arguing that unchecked toxic communities could spill over into real-world harm.

The inclusion of platforms like Twitch and Reddit in the inquiry reflects the committee’s view that extremist content does not live on the fringes but is woven into mainstream online experiences. Twitch, owned by Amazon, has faced repeated challenges with content moderation during livestreamed events, while Reddit continues to battle controversial subreddits that critics argue provide havens for radical ideologies. Discord, once considered primarily a gamer’s chat tool, has increasingly become a gathering space for diverse communities – but also one exploited by extremists.

The October 8 hearing is expected to be one of the most closely watched tech accountability sessions in years. It signals bipartisan recognition that while free speech protections are critical, online platforms must also act responsibly to prevent weaponization of their tools for political violence. For families mourning Kirk’s death, and for a public increasingly uneasy with the intersection of online discourse and real-world extremism, the testimony of Newell, Clancy, Sakhnini, and Huffman could shape the next phase of internet governance debates.