FBI director Kash Patel popped up on Fox News on Monday morning to discuss how he handled Wednesday’s assassination of Charlie Kirk. Naturally, his premature announcement that the conservative activist’s suspected shooter was in custody came up — but he doesn’t regret the tweet in question.
“So in the 24 hours after, when we were still looking for the guy, I know you posted that we got him and that ended up not being true,” “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade recapped. “You took some heat because of that. What led to you posting that, why did you feel so certain about it and what do you have to say about the criticism?”
“I appreciate this opportunity. Look, as I stated, I was being transparent with working with the public on our findings as I had them. I stated in that message that we had a subject and that we were going to interview him, and we did, and he was released,” Patel responded. “The job of the FBI is not just to manhunt the actual suspect who did the killing or suspects, but it’s also to eliminate targets and eliminate subjects who are not involved in the process. And that’s what we were doing.”
“Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment? Sure. But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not,” he further insisted. “I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing, and I’m continuing to do that. I challenge anyone out there to find a director that has been more transparent and more willing to work the media on high-profile cases or any case the FBI is handling than we have been.”
Kirk was shot on Wednesday while speaking at his American Comeback Tour stop at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was transported to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries. He was 31.
While the investigation and manhunt were still developing day of, Patel (and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox) assured the public the suspected shooter was in custody.
“The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” the FBI director wrote on X on Wednesday. “Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with FBI. We will provide updates when able.”
In the end, two immediate persons of interest were both discovered not to be the suspected shooter. On Friday morning, President Donald Trump revealed on Fox News that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson had turned himself in for the shooting late Thursday night.
“He has heard concerns about how this looks,” an administration official told NBC News of Patel on Monday. “There are a lot of shaking heads.”
