CBS host asks Kevin McCarthy whether Republicans need to 'reflect' on their rhetoric after Kirk assassination

Burleson noted that the TPUSA founder's words were "offensive to specific communities" at times, and "not everyone took to his words or his rhetoric" before questioning McCarthy.

McCarthy responded by stating he doesn't see rising political violence as an issue within individual parties but rather as an issue that the entire nation is facing.

He recalled a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy following the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, comparing the speech to the immediate aftermath of Kirk's slaying.

"This is what happened in the '60s," he argued. "This is a moment in time for this nation to take this time to actually make a question about all of us."

Kirk's shocking death has been met with widespread mourning and outrage. Trump, who counted Kirk as a friend and close political ally, called him a patriot and man of deep faith.

"An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed, because together, we will ensure that his voice, his message and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come," Trump said Wednesday from the Oval Office.

As of Thursday morning, Kirk's killer remains at large.