Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sparked controversy after partly criticizing religion during an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, just two weeks after the assassination of evangelical leader Charlie Kirk.

Clinton suggested that conservative white men who hold traditional values are contributing to national division.

“The idea that you could turn the clock back and try to recreate a world that never was—dominated by, let’s say it, white men of a certain persuasion, a certain religion, a certain ideology—is just doing such damage to what we should be aiming for,” she told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

Kirk, a prominent conservative Christian figure, was killed on September 10 while speaking at a college event in southern Utah. His death remains under federal investigation.

Clinton’s comments came in response to a segment reflecting on U.S. history and the nation’s ongoing struggle for equality, including the legacy of slavery and the Civil War.

While expressing her patriotism and respect for free speech, Clinton warned against what she sees as a regressive movement within “those on the right.”

“I’m proud of the fact that we have always been a work in progress… We haven’t gotten to the more perfect union,” she said.

Clinton added: “Freedom of speech and the ability to protest is what makes us so special as a country.”