On the one hand, this planned summit between Erika Kirk and Candace Owens might have saved a lot of drama and creepiness had it taken place a couple of months ago. On the other hand, given what has transpired over the last few weeks, one has to wonder whether the young widow of Charlie Kirk and new CEO of Turning Point USA is walking into a trap today.

Hopefully, Mrs. Kirk will have a witness present in this 'private' meeting:

Candace Owens and I are meeting for a private, in-person discussion on Monday, December 15. @RealCandaceO and I have agreed that public discussions, livestreams, and tweets are on hold until after this meeting. I look forward to a productive conversation. Thank you.

Fox News picked up on the announcement late last night:

The planned discussion between Erika and the former Turning Point USA employee reflects an effort by the women to address weeks of mounting tensions over conspiracy theories online in a more thoughtful and personal setting.

At a recent CBS town hall Erika expressed the emotional toll of widespread online speculation surrounding her husband’s passing, "Stop. That's it. That's all I have to say. Stop." when asked what she had to say to people making unfounded claims.

"When you go after my family, my Turning Point USA family, my Charlie Kirk Show family, when you go after the people that I love, and you're making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love because somehow they're in on this, no," Erika also said on "Outnumbered" Dec. 10.

Fox doesn't go into great detail about what Owens has been saying, and for good reason. Owens has vented bat-guano craziness for the last several weeks, insinuating that TPUSA figures were involved in the assassination and essentially claiming a close relationship with Charlie Kirk that others have hotly disputed. Even in her more rational commentary, Owens has targeted Erika Kirk for criticism over her determination to keep Charlie's organization focused and moving forward, a rather strange choice for someone who claimed to be Charlie's friend.

A meeting could help dial down the tensions that have built up. It takes a boatload of grace for Erika to agree to meet with Candace at this point, considering the vicious commentary the latter has produced, and perhaps Erika thinks that Owens is willing to be reasonable. Or, perhaps, Mrs. Kirk has prepared to get litigious over Owens' commentary and wants to give her one last chance to retract and apologize before going to the legal mattresses. 

Either way, though, Mrs. Kirk needs a witness to this conversation and perhaps even a recording to be held privately unless a resolution cannot be found. Owens has spent the last several weeks exploiting the tragedy of Charlie's assassination, and largely succeeding at diverting attention to herself. It seems doubtful, at least, that a sit-down will disincentivize Owens from her campaign of clickbait. It seems far more likely that Owens will make characterizations of the discussions that will fuel her obsessive commentary, whether those are accurate or not. 

If the conversation does not include witnesses, transcripts, or recordings that would give an objective account of the discussion, the read-outs from each camp will be fascinating. I certainly hope that this will result in an end to the weird campaign Owens has waged, but I suspect that it will take more than an afternoon-tea stare-down to effect such an outcome. 

In other words ...

Let's hope Erika Kirk is prepared for that strong possibility. 

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