President Donald Trump has thrown the head of the FBI a lifeline as scrutiny intensifies over the hunt for Charlie Kirk’s assassin.
Trump said on Saturday he’s “proud” of FBI Director Kash Patel and his agency for identifying Kirk’s alleged assassin, according to a Fox News Digital reporter.
“I am very proud of the FBI. Kash—and everyone else— they have done a great job,” said Trump, per Brooke Singman, who quoted him in a Saturday post on X.
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Patel made sure to tip his hat to the president, posting a screen shot of the Fox News story headline, and adding: “Because of your leadership, Mr. President: Justice will be served.”
Trump’s praise comes amid growing scrutiny over Patel’s handling of the investigation into Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination, which came to a head with the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
The FBI Director’s use of social media to give contradictory updates threw the hunt for Kirk’s killer into chaos. Patel announced the release of a suspect on Wednesday on X, just hours after saying law enforcement had him in custody.
The tweet stirred confusion and was corrected by local officials, who said two individuals had been questioned and released.
“What he did yesterday has never been done by any FBI director before him, or any division leadership before,” retired FBI agent Dan Brunner told Reuters.
“The investigators need to sort through all the initial intelligence before putting out factual evidence,” he added. “FBI does not run investigations on social media.”
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade said Friday on Fox & Friends that “the FBI seems to be in somewhat disarray,” following the delay of a press conference on Thursday given by Patel and his deputy director, Dan Bongino.
The news conference provided little information regarding the identity of the suspect.
“And then when they did [the press conference], they didn’t nail anybody,” Kilmeade said. “In real time, are we seeing people in the FBI who just want to do their own thing and don’t want to accept new leadership, and is it hurting this investigation?”
But during the press conference, Patel was criticized for remaining silent, and not addressing reporters or allowing media questions, which only fueled public opinion that the agency was lacking information.
Utah Department of Public Safety commissioner Beau Mason admitted on Thursday to MSNBC that they had “no idea” if the suspect was still even in the state. Tyler Robinson, 22, was finally arrested on Friday following a tip from a family friend, according to Utah’s governor.
On Friday night, NBC News reported that Patel was dining at New York City hotspot Rao’s on Thursday night—reportedly at the same time he was posting that inaccurate information to X.
