The Charlie Kirk shooting is the killing of activist Charlie Kirk, whose official investigation John Kiriakou has publicly questioned. He points to a court filing, reported by the Daily Mail, stating the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives was unable to match the bullet recovered at Kirk’s autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to suspect Tyler Robinson.[1][2] He also questions why the FBI became so heavily involved in the case despite no evident state-line crossing — the shooting, planning, and confession all occurred in Utah, with no state line ever crossed — noting that Kash Patel, asked about it early on, described the bureau’s role only as “offering the FBI’s expertise” to Utah State Police, even though Kiriakou says nothing in the case as described would make it federal absent a broader conspiracy.[3][4][5][6] Kiriakou speculates the case may involve a wider conspiracy than officially acknowledged, suggesting Robinson may have been “duped or tricked or recruited,” and notes that Robinson’s lawyers have said nothing publicly — a silence he contrasts with his own whistleblower case, in which his side leaked to the media specifically to combat Justice Department leaks against him.[7][8][9]
Kiriakou also calls it suspicious that Benjamin Netanyahu publicly denied any Israeli involvement before anyone had accused Israel, and that Israel is erecting a statue of Kirk in Tel Aviv despite his having recently come out against Israel.[10]
Kiriakou connects the case to Joe Kent, who he says was quietly removed from the investigation because superiors believed he could not conduct adequate research into whether a foreign asset was involved, without Kent accusing any specific country — Kent was reportedly examining clandestinely collected information that did not neatly fit the official narrative that Tyler Robinson shot Kirk.[11][12][13]
In the immediate aftermath, Kiriakou said the governor of Utah was the only official who made any sense, despite having the least responsibility for the investigation, while FBI Director Kash Patel announced a suspect was in custody and then released him, twice.[14][15] He also faulted campus police at Utah Valley University for failing to check the roof of the closed, renovation-shuttered building the shooter used, calling the overall response amateur hour.[16] He said the shooting suspect was ultimately turned in by a family member or family friend.[17]
Kiriakou has also weighed in on the public reaction to the killing. He noted that a Stanford University Center for the Study of Extremism poll found 34% of American college students believe using violence is justified when they disagree with someone’s speech, and said some of his own friends were on social media unequivocally endorsing Kirk’s killing.[18][19] He noted that Laura Loomer called for rounding up, arresting, and investigating all leftist organizations in America after the assassination, with Trump echoing similar language the night of the killing, and separately called Loomer’s demand to ban the Democratic Party a claim no U.S. court would uphold.[20][21] He also said conservatives outraged over reactions to Kirk’s killing were the same people who had mocked the attack on Paul Pelosi and spread a rumor it was a “lover’s quarrel” between secretly gay men.[22]