Donald Trump boasted his administration has launched a “major investigation” into people on “the left” over the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Trump did not provide details on the probe but teased an upcoming announcement as he tore into his perceived political enemies over the fatal shooting of his close ally in Utah last week.
“If you look at the problem, the problem is on the left. It’s not on the right,” he said. “When you look at the agitators, you look at the scum that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place—that’s the left. That’s not the right.”
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“We’ll be announcing,” Trump added. “They’re already under major investigation. A lot of the people that you would traditionally say are on the left [are] already under investigation.”
Asked whether the administration planned to revoke the visas of foreigners who celebrated Kirk’s killing, Trump said they were “looking at names.”
“We don’t like that. That’s not right. We wouldn’t celebrate if something happened on their side, and we don’t. These are sick people. These are really deranged people,” he said.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast that the perpetrator of Kirk’s murder would “face the full wrath of the American justice system.”
“The president was clear: the perpetrator of this horrific act will pay for what they did,” she said. “And any other left-wing whack jobs who engage in targeted political violence like the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The FBI separately said it would provide real-time updates as it works with law enforcement partners to hold Kirk’s killer accountable.
Kirk, 31, was shot dead while speaking to students at Utah Valley University, setting off a firestorm of finger-pointing between liberals and conservatives who blamed each other’s ideologies for the assassination.
Trump led the charge against “radical left lunatics” by telling his supporters on Thursday that “we just have to beat the hell out of them.”
After apprehending and swiftly releasing two individuals who were incorrectly held liable for Kirk’s death, the FBI announced on Friday that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson had been identified as the suspect.
Robinson lived in Washington County with his family but was not a student at UVU, according to Utah Governor Spencer Cox. Public records show that the suspect is unaffiliated with any party, while both his parents are registered Republicans.
Cox said a relative noted that Robinson had “become more political in recent years,” and that the suspect spoke about Kirk specifically in the days leading up to the shocking Wednesday shooting.
“In the conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU. They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said.
Authorities also said that ammunition from a bolt-action rifle recovered after the shooting included inscriptions such as, “notice bulges OWO what’s this?” “Hey fascist! Catch!” and “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.” Another casing bore the phrase “Bella ciao,” in an apparent reference to the popular Italian anti-fascist anthem.
Robinson’s grandmother, Debbie, 69, previously told the Daily Mail that theirs was a family of Trump supporters.
“Most of my family members are Republican,” she said. “I don’t know any single one who’s a Democrat.”
On Sunday, however, Cox told NBC’s Meet the Press that the suspect’s political ideology was “very different” from his family’s.
“There clearly was a leftist ideology with this assassin,” he said, citing information from Robinson’s family and romantic partner.
Cox later told CNN’s State of the Union that Robinson lived with his transgender partner, though investigators were still trying to determine whether their romantic relationship was a motive behind the shooting.
The 22-year-old suspect was also steeped in “dark” corners of the internet, Cox said.
