Ex-NCTC Director Kent Accuses Feds of Halting Kirk Probe

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent has accused federal authorities of halting investigations into possible foreign connections to the 2025 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, sparking renewed debate over the case as Tyler Robinson's trial proceeds in Utah.

Kirk, a 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA and prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot in the neck on September 10, 2025, during an outdoor debate at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The incident occurred in front of about 3,000 attendees, and Kirk was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The following day, 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson from Washington, Utah, turned himself in to authorities after his parents identified him from surveillance footage. Investigators linked him to the crime through a bolt-action Mauser Model 98 .30-06 rifle found near the scene, which matched a gift given to Robinson, along with DNA evidence on the weapon.

Utah County prosecutors charged Robinson with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child....