After Missteps, Kash Patel Faces Questions Over His Leadership of Charlie Kirk Investigation

FBI Director Kash Patel has come under fire for his handling of the investigation into the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, with figures on both the left and right raising questions about his leadership over the agency in the wake of the assassination and the ensuing hunt for the person responsible. Hours after Kirk was shot at a university event in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, Patel announced on social media that the FBI had “the subject” in custody, prompting widespread reports that authorities had arrested a suspect. At the time the post was made, however, Tyler Robinson, the man suspected of shooting Kirk, had not yet turned himself into authorities, which he ultimately did following a 33-hour manhunt.  The governor of Utah stated in a press conference shortly after Patel’s post that the person in custody was a person of interest and the gunman was still believed to be “at large,” and Patel said less than two hours later that the “subject” had been released after an interrogation. NBC News reported, citing a person familiar, that Patel dined at the exclusive New York City restaurant Rao’s that night. The FBI director has defended his post, saying during an interview with “Fox and Friends” that he “was being transparent with working with the public on our findings as I had them.” “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 said. “I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing, and I’m continuing to do that. And I challenge anyone out there to find a director that has been more transparent.” But his actions during the investigation have reportedly raised concerns within the FBI and among other officials, and have drawn public criticism both from Democrats and from some on the right—including during contentious Senate hearings last week, in which Patel was grilled on the release of files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as well as his management of the Kirk case in the hours following the shooting. Democrats blast Patel: ‘Shut up and let the professionals do their job’  During the FBI oversight hearings last week, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said Patel caused “mass confusion” with his post about the apprehension of the “subject” in Kirk’s shooting. “Mr. Patel was so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk’s assassin that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement: At critical stages of investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job,” Durbin, the no. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said as Patel sat before the Judiciary committee. Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, who has been a staunch critic of Patel since his appointment as FBI director, called his handling of the Kirk investigation a “mistake.” The criticisms came amid Democrats’ broader attacks against Patel during the hearings, which escalated into multiple heated exchanges. Durbin, in addition to hitting Patel over the investigation, called him “arguably the most partisan FBI Director ever.” Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey and Patel got into a shouting match, with the Senator telling the FBI director, “I believe you have made our country weaker and less safe,” and detailing what he framed as Patel’s failures—including his handling of the investigation into Kirk’s shooting but also a number of other issues, such as the ousting of several top FBI officials without an explanation. “That rant of false information does not bring this country together,” Patel responded to Booker’s list of criticisms.  Sen. Adam Schiff called Patel an “internet troll” at the hearings, where he asked the FBI director about the Epstein files and firings at the agency, while Patel called the Senator a “buffoon” and “fraud.” Some on the right raise concerns In contrast with their Democratic colleagues, Republican lawmakers were largely supportive of Patel during the hearings last week. But the investigation into Kirk’s shooting and his handling of it have also drawn criticism from multiple conservative figures. Christopher Ruffo, a conservative activist, called on Republicans to evaluate Patel’s fitness to run the FBI in the aftermath of the shooting. “I’m grateful that Utah authorities have captured the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination, and think it is time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI,” Ruffo posted on X. “We would be wise to take a moment and ask whether Kash Patel has what it takes to get this done. I’ve been on the phone the last few days with many conservative leaders, all of whom wholeheartedly support the Trump Administration and none of whom are confident that the current structure of the FBI is up to this task.” Candace Owens, a conservative political commentator who has worked with Kirk in the past, called the investigation into his killing a “federal conspiracy” on her Instagram story and claimed the timeline and details of the investigation didn’t add up. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has also been critical of the investigation, saying Robinson’s arrest was not the result of “great law enforcement work.” “It appears the kid had said something to the family, the family confronted him, and the family turned him in. I’m not seeing the great law enforcement work. They all came together, I got that. But this was not great law enforcement work,” he said. Bannon, who was speaking after a law enforcement press conference, added, “I don’t know why Kash flew out there, you know, thousands of miles, to give us, ‘Hey, working partnerships and our great partnership in Utah.’”