Charlie Kirk shooting suspect Tyler Robinson to be charged with murder as Trump pushes for death penalty: Latest updates

FBI Director Kash Patel is wearing a Liverpool Football Club tie.

As FBI Director Kash Patel sits for questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee, two high-level former agents issued a statement alleging they were recently fired.

Chris Meyer and Walter Giardina said, “Our country is less safe as a result. The FBI did not even investigate any purported charges against them. No law enforcement officer should lose his job just for doing his job.”

Leading Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, called for a lower “temperature” after the death of Charlie Kirk.

The Illinois Democrat says both political parties “have a responsibility to bring down the temperature” and encourage unity following Kirk’s killing.

In his opening remarks earlier in the hearing, Durbin said Democrats are not responsible for Kirk’s death, just as Republicans are not responsible for the killing of a Democratic state lawmaker in Minnesota earlier this year.

The country is going through a period of division and political violence, he said, but “Republicans are not Nazis, Democrats are not evil.”

The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee started FBI Director Kash Patel’s hearing by listing GOP criticisms of FBI investigations related to politics.

Those ranged from the prosecution of White House adviser Peter Navarro for his response to a congressional subpoena to the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

He also promised to disclose new whistleblower records.

The leading Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, began his remarks by criticizing Patel for removing career FBI officials and diverting agents to assist with immigration enforcement.

Durbin called Patel “arguably the most partisan FBI director ever,” saying he has “already inflicted untold damage on the FBI.” Durbin accused Patel of putting the country’s “national security and public safety at risk.”

FBI Director Kash Patel has begun two days of questioning from congressional committees about his tenure leading the bureau.

He started his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee with an overview of the investigation into the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Patel has faced some criticism from conservative corners about how he has led the FBI in the wake of the shooting, but he told the Senate panel that his agency — “at my direction” — successfully brought the suspect into custody.

He has also highlighted the number of arrests made by the FBI, noting it represents an increase from the Biden administration.

“We are leading the mission to crush violent crime and defend the homeland,” Patel said.

His opening remarks noted his efforts to reorganize the bureau to prioritize fighting violent crime.

Patel stated that the FBI has arrested over 23,000 violent criminals this year — an increase compared to last year. He also emphasized the FBI’s work in targeting drug trafficking and violent drug cartels.

Critics have expressed concerns that the focus on immigration enforcement and violent crime might distract from the FBI’s ability to address issues like counterterrorism.

FBI director Kash Patel faces a series of high-profile hearings in Congress this coming week, following scrutiny from both parties over his handling of the search for the gunman that killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a speaking event at a Utah university.

In the Senate on Tuesday and House on Wednesday, Patel is likely to face a grilling over irregularities in the manhunt for suspect Tyler Robinson, including an initial announcement from Patel that a “subject” had been captured, only for the FBI boss to later backtrack.]

The blunder earned Patel criticism not only from Democrats but usual MAGA allies.

Josh Marcus with the full preview on FBI director Kash Patel’s testimony:

A hearing for Tyler Robinson will be held at 3pm MDT, the Utah State Courts website has announced.

Robinson will not be in court in person, with the hearing set to be held virtually.

There will be no public virtual link to the hearing.

A 71-year-old audience member present when Charlie Kirk was shot dead, shouted at a police officer, “I shot him, now shoot me”, in a bid to give the real shooter more time to escape, police have said.

New police documents obtained by news outlet Fox13 allege that the man, named as George Zinn, drew police focus in the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s shooting, which led to him being charged with obstruction of justice.

The documents say that moments after Kirk was shot in the neck in front of thousands of students at Utah State University, Zinn approached police officers shouting, “I shot him, now shoot me.” Despite no weapon being obvious, Zinn continued to claim he was the shooter, which led to his arrest.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries didn’t attend a prayer vigil for the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk Monday evening because of a scheduling conflict.

Led by House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, congressional Republicans held an event on Capitol Hill Monday evening to pay their respects to Kirk.

When asked why he didn’t attend the vigil, Jeffries told CNN’s Ellis Kim, “We had a steering and policy committee meeting.”