Dissecting the Reporting BY NBC On the Kirk Investigation
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‘No evidence’ found yet of ties between Charlie Kirk’s shooting and left-wing groups, officials say
Three people familiar with the federal probe into Kirk’s assassination told NBC News that investigators have yet to find a link between the alleged shooter and left-wing groups.
Sept. 20, 2025, 7:00 PM GMT+10
By Allan Smith, Michael Kosnar, Kelly O’Donnell and Ryan J. Reilly
The federal investigation into the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has yet to find a link between the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, and left-wing groups on which President Donald Trump and his administration have pledged to crack down after the killing, three sources familiar with the probe told NBC News.
One person familiar with the federal investigation said that “thus far, there is no evidence connecting the suspect with any left-wing groups.”
“Every indication so far is that this was one guy who did one really bad thing because he found Kirk’s ideology personally offensive,” this person continued.
In addition, two of the people familiar with the probe said it may be difficult to charge Robinson at the federal level for Kirk’s killing, while the third source said there is still an expectation that some kind of federal charge is filed against Robinson.
One wonders how long said three officials will last in those jobs.
It is somewhat reminiscent of the Oswald arrest where the local cops and the DA were looking for federal charges to lay involving the “International Communist Conspiracy”. Cooler heads in the White House prevailed, while also knowingly or unknowingly giving a nod and a wink to Oswald’s demise.
Cooler heads do not prevail here. The link to the Left is almost being demanded to be found by the White House.
Factors that have complicated the effort to bring charges at the federal level include that Robinson, a Utah resident, did not travel from out of state; Kirk was shot during an open campus debate at Utah Valley University. Additionally, Kirk himself is not a federal officer or elected official.
A Justice Department spokesperson said, “The investigation is ongoing and beyond that we decline to comment.”
Complicating factors regarding bringing Federal charges won’t matter to an administration that is in the process of normalizing ignoring legal niceties.
Robinson currently faces state charges, which were announced on Tuesday. He is being charged with aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, among others, and Utah prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case. Prosecutors said Robinson targeted Kirk, the co-founder of the conservative political group Turning Point USA, during the Sept. 10 event because of his “political expression.” His mother told investigators in part “that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left.”
The rest of the world would be bemused with the mother’s alleged declaration that her son “had started to lean more to the left.” More to the left of MAGA is still on the right in most of Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Apart from that, gender issues are not confined to the “Left”.
Self-described “Independent Conservative” politician, Althea Garrison had already transitioned to female when she entered politics. and was “outed” while in office during the 1990s.
Republican politician Lauren Alex Scott began transitioning from male in 1999, more than 10 years before entering politics.
Republican politician Jordon Willow Evans transitioned to female commencing in 2015.
And let’s not forget George Santos, the drag queen fraudster and habitual liar
Or for that matter, JD Vance, who dressed in drag at Yale Law School circa 2012, and still has a liking for wearing what is traditionally female make-up.
Thomas Brzozowski, who was until recently the Justice Department’s counsel for domestic terrorism, told NBC News that while Kirk’s assassination appears to meet the definition of domestic terrorism, finding a federal charge to bring against the shooter might be a challenge. There’s no federal law that makes acts of domestic terrorism a stand-alone crime, although prosecutors can seek a sentencing enhancement after conviction.
The FBI is frequently involved in domestic terrorism investigations that ultimately result in only state-level charges.
“As is always the case, the FBI needs a federal hook to initiate an investigation,” Brzozowski said. “Here, it appears that they’re acting in an assistance to state authorities’ capacity.”
With Oswald, the “hook” was that his civil liberties were violated by a Jack Ruby special. No surprise if they get similarly inventive in the search for a hook here. Maybe make Kirk retrospectively, a part of the administration…? Or just pretend that he always was.
Charging documents filed Tuesday also contained a series of texts between Robinson and a roommate, whom police described as “a biological male who was involved in a romantic relationship” with the suspect and transitioning to female. The roommate’s identity has not been made public.
The texts appear to link Robinson to the crime. One message alerted the roommate to a hidden note in their residence, which read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to the documents.
“What?????????????? You’re joking right????” the roommate apparently wrote back.
Robinson allegedly told the roommate he planned the attack for more than a week and, when asked why he killed Kirk, said: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Following Kirk’s shocking assassination, which has sparked a wave of grief, fear and fury on the right, Trump and his allies have threatened to come after left-wing advocacy groups that they saw as fomenting the anger that led to Kirk’s death.
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said left-wing organizations amounted to a “vast domestic terror movement.”
“With God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks and make America safe again for the American people,” Miller said recently. “It will happen, and we will do it in Charlie’s name.”
What they are all missing, or ignoring, is that the term “trolling” has over recent years, leapt from the online world to the real world. This was all one big troll, with deadly consequences normalized through online gaming and a life-time of real-life hunting.
Those alleged text messages though, are problematic. They look pretty much like a lot of the evidence against Oswald. Manufactured “self-incrimination”.
As NBC News reported Thursday, that effort is likely to face hurdles.
“There’s not a lot of federal law on this,” Scott Walter, president of the Capital Research Center, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that tracks progressive groups and is influential in conservative circles, said then. “Frankly, the states and localities should be doing a better job [of prosecuting criminal activity], as they did in the 1960s. They have enormously more manpower.”
Since 2002, right-wing ideologies have fueled more than 70% of all extremist attacks and domestic terrorism plots in the United States, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The Justice Department also said in a study last year that the number of far-right attacks in this country continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism. The study was removed from the Justice Department website in the past few days, according to 404 Media.
Kirk’s funeral is set for Sunday in Arizona. On Thursday, a joint bulletin authored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Secret Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Department of Homeland Security said law enforcement is “tracking several threats of unknown credibility” against people who may be planning to attend Kirk’s memorial, though so far there’s no concrete evidence that anyone is in danger or that the threats are real, according to a senior law enforcement official.
Allan Smith
The stats won’t matter. The law and the constitution won’t matter. Right now, this administration is acting like it is invincible in the rush to implement Project 2025, while keeping critics and foes off-balance with a variety of circus acts, gold ballrooms, and media control.
Brought to you free, as always… but a small donation for my coffee addiction is always most appreciated!
Nice to see that someone hasn’t drank the Kool-Aid
Just as in 1865 and 1963, the pundits are getting way ahead of the evidence. Rush to judgment seems to be happening again and I think before anyone should start claiming which competing ideology was behind the killing we should probably confirm the evidence that this fellow is actually the shooter and not merely some patsy… like at Butler… like at Dealey… like Ford’s Theater. Some shit doesn’t need to keep being repeated.
Nothing changes because no one learns from those histories. Early reports had him living at home, other early reports had him living in an apartment. One early report got wind of both and just published both as if it was a normal living arrangement. A bit like Oswald once again. A boarding house where no one knew him by his real name and Ruth’s Irving hideaway of a weekend – which was the address he always gave – and where he was spotted shopping locally on a Wednesday.
I don’t think anyone but the public wants the facts to come out. There is too much propaganda mileage to be made in the current confusion of stories for both sides of politics.