The chief strategist for George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and longtime political analyst Dowd suggested the gunshot could have been fired by one of Kirk's supporters.

The chief strategist for George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and longtime political analyst Dowd suggested the gunshot could have been fired by one of Kirk's supporters.

Matthew Dowd was slammed on social media for suggesting that "hateful words" played a role in the shooting death of the conservative activist.