FBI Director Kash Patel crushed efforts by Tulsi Gabbard‘s closest advisor to see if a foreign power was involved in Charlie Kirk‘s assassination.
The head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, analyzed FBI files to determine whether Kirk’s alleged killer received assistance from a foreign power.
Kent’s investigation alarmed Patel who believed the counterterror chief was overstepping by interfering with an ongoing FBI investigation, according to the New York Times.
Kirk was shot in the throat by a high-powered sniper rifle while speaking to college students at Utah Valley University on September 10. Tyler Robinson, 22, was charged with the murder and now faces the death penalty if found guilty.
The Times spoke with supporters of Kent who claim he was doing his job by chasing down any leads to ensure no foreign groups were involved in Kirk’s death.
After Patel discovered Kent had gone through FBI case material related to the Kirk killing, a tense White House meeting was held to discuss the matter.
A round table meeting between Patel, Kent, Gabbard, Vice President JD Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wilies, and senior DOJ officials was held at the White House.
Kent told administration officials that he was granted access to FBI files by a low ranking agency official.
Patel snuffed out efforts by the Counterterrorism Center to see if foreign powers were involved in Charlie Kirk’s murder
Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged in relation to the Charlie Kirk murder at Utah Valley University
The White House meeting was so tense that ‘little was accomplished,’ according to the Times.
Trump administration officials were worried that Kent’s probe into foreign interference could provide ammunition to Robinson’s defense lawyers, who could then argue more than one suspect was involved in Kirk’s murder.
The FBI and DOJ have traditionally tightly regulated evidence in active criminal investigations and prosecutions.
Under the direction of Kent, the Counterterrorism Center collected material from other intelligence agencies regarding potential foreign ties to Robinson, as well as evaluated any potential foreign funding from individuals associated with left-wing groups, such as antifa.
There have been longstanding issues regarding jurisdiction between Gabbard’s office and the FBI.
It is not clear if the FBI or the Counterterrorism Center is still investigating whether a foreign power assisted in the murder of Charlie Kirk.
The Daily Mail reached out to Kent and the FBI for comment.
‘The FBI and intelligence community under the direction of President Trump will leave no stone unturned in the investigation of the assassination of our friend, Charlie Kirk,’ said Patel and Gabbard in a joint statement to the Times.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent
Kent was confirmed to lead the Counterterrorism Center back in July, where he has since focused on disrupting narco-terrorist cells and cartels.
Before joining the Trump administration, Kent unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2022 and 2024 in Washington, auctioning himself as a MAGA loyalist.
The former CIA employee and Green Beret veteran is known for his non-interventionist foreign policy views.
