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Kash Patel grilled on Charlie Kirk investigation during congressional hearing

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — FBI Director Kash Patel faced questions about the assassination of conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk last week — including details about a Discord chat group involving the alleged shooter — when he appeared before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

In his appearance, his first in two days of hearings on Capitol Hill, Patel addressed his handling of the Kirk investigation — something he faced criticism for after he shared on social media at one point that a suspect was in custody, but then had to backtrack an hour and a half later.

Ranking Member Dick Durbin, a Democrat, slammed Patel during his opening remarks on Tuesday, saying Patel sparked “mass confusion” in his posts about Kirk’s killing. Patel stood by his performance, touting the fact that Kirk’s suspected shooter was caught in less than 36 hours.

Patel said he directed authorities to release the photo of the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, in the Kirk shooting. Kirk was killed in Utah on Wednesday and Robinson was apprehended after his father recognized him in photographs released by authorities, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Friday. His father told Robinson to turn himself in, with the 22-year-old initially saying no, but later changing his mind, officials said.

Patel contends this only happened because he ordered “against all law enforcement recommendations,” as he said on X on Saturday, the release of video and enhanced photos of the suspect.

“We cannot do our job without the American public and credible reporting in the media,” Patel said. “And that’s why Tyler Robinson is in custody today about to face charges.”

Patel addressed criticism that he has faced for how he handled the investigation on “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning.

“I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing it. I continue to do it. I challenge anyone out there to find a director who has been more transparent and more willing to work the media with high profile cases or any cases that the FBI [is] handling.”

The online messaging platform, Discord confirmed reports that about two hours before Robinson was taken into custody last week, the alleged shooter posted messages to a small group of friends on the platform that said, “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all … It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.”

Patel addressed the Discord message during the hearing, saying that the FBI is investigating “anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat” with Robinson. Patel said there are “a lot more” than 20 people linked to Robinson on Discord, “and we’re running them all down. … Every single one.”

“There are a number of individuals that are currently being investigated and interrogated, and a number yet to be investigated and interrogated, specific to that chat room. So we are very much in our ongoing posture of investigation,” Patel said, adding that other people could be involved in the shooting.

President Donald Trump appears to be standing behind Patel. Asked for his thoughts on Patel’s performance so far Tuesday morning, Trump said he supports Patel and that he has “confidence in everyone in the administration.”

The Epstein investigation

Patel is facing questions on a host of other issues while he has been at the helm of the FBI, including the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

The Trump administration has been dealing with blowback it received from MAGA supporters for its decision to not release more materials related to the investigation into Epstein, the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in jail in 2019.

Epstein, whose private island estate was in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has long been rumored to have kept a “client list” of celebrities and politicians, which right-wing influencers have baselessly accused authorities of hiding.

The Justice Department and FBI announced in July that they had found no evidence that Epstein kept a client list after several top officials like Patel, before joining the administration, had themselves accused the government of shielding information regarding the case.

Patel squarely blamed former U.S. Attorney and Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who initially oversaw the Epstein investigation. Acosta resigned amid controversy over his role in a 2008 plea deal with Epstein and defended his decision, saying his goal “was straightforward” and included putting Epstein behind bars.

“I’m here to testify that the original sin in the Epstein case was the way it was initially brought by Mr. Acosta back in 2006. The original case involved a very limited search warrant, or set of search warrants, and didn’t take as much investigatory material it should have seized,” Patel said. “If I were the FBI director, then it wouldn’t have happened.”

Patel testified that Epstein was not an FBI informant as some have claimed.

Shouting match between Booker, Patel

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and Patel engaged in a shouting match over Booker accusing Patel of making the country less safe.

“I believe you have made our country weaker and less safe,” Booker told Patel, before detailing what he perceived as Patel’s failures as the FBI’s leader, including the ouster of several top FBI leaders without explanation.

“That rant of false information does not bring this country together,” Patel shot back at Booker.

The two men shouted over each other until Chair Chuck Grassley intervened and allowed Patel to respond.

Sen. Ted Cruz, who spoke next, quipped: “It used to be that to see theater you had to go to the Kennedy Center, now apparently you need only go to the Senate Judiciary Committee and see our Senate Democrats berating the director the FBI.”

ABC News’ Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.

Tyler Robinson, accused of killing Charlie Kirk, set to face formal charges for death of conservative influencer

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Formal charges are expected to be announced Tuesday against Tyler Robinson, the person accused of assassinating conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray is set to hold a news conference to announce the charges against Robinson after they are filed in the late morning, according to Utah County officials.

Robinson is also scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday.

Robinson was arrested last week for felony discharge of a firearm, aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, according to probable cause documents and was booked into the Utah County Jail.

Investigators are continuing to assess evidence, including looking at electronic devices the suspect may have had access to, as federal charges could be announced in the coming days, law enforcement officials told ABC News.

A motive has not been revealed by officials, despite Vice President JD Vance saying “left-wing extremism” is “part of the reason” Kirk was killed.

Discord, a group chat messaging platform, confirmed on Monday that Robinson sent messages two hours before he was taken into custody admitting he shot the conservative influencer.

“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all…It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this,” one of the messages read.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI is investigating “anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat.”

Patel said there are “a lot more” than 20 people linked to Robinson on Discord and that the FBI is “running them all down.” He added that a “number of individuals” are currently being investigated.

Robinson was apprehended after his father recognized him in photographs released by authorities, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said last week. His father told Robinson to turn himself in, with the 22-year-old initially saying no, but later changing his mind, officials said.

In a press briefing from the Oval Office Monday evening, President Donald Trump said it appeared Robinson became radicalized on the internet.

“Something happened to him over a fairly short period of time. It looks like he was radicalized over the internet, and it’s radicalized on the left. He’s a left,” Trump claimed.

Robinson is alleged to have had an “obsession” with the conservative influencer, based on the alleged shooter’s digital footprint, FBI Co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday on Fox News.

Bongino said the suspect appeared to have exhibited “multiple warning signs.”

“I believe co-workers stated he had detached himself when the topic of politics came up and walked away,” Bongino said on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”

Bongino said they are looking into whether anyone knew the shooting could happen and didn’t alert authorities, referring to the Discord chats Robinson allegedly had about Kirk.

“Did they … hear it and think it was a joke? That is what we’re trying to find out now,” he told Fox News. “If there is a larger network here, we will get that out to the public as soon as we can.”

ABC News’ Mike Levine contributed to this report.

Trump files $15 billion defamation suit against New York Times, Penguin Random House

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Trump files billion defamation suit against New York Times, Penguin Random House

Trump files $15 billion defamation suit against New York Times, Penguin Random House — Win McNamee/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — President Donald Trump is seeking $15 billion in damages from The New York Times and Penguin Random House in a defamation lawsuit that alleges the newspaper and publisher engaged in a campaign to damage his reputation ahead of the 2024 election.

Alleging that the Times has become a “leading, and unapologetic, purveyor of falsehoods,” Trump’s attorneys argued that a series of articles about Trump — including a report that Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly warned the president would rule like a dictator, an article about the making of “The Apprentice,” and a report about the controversy that has followed Trump — amounted to libel.

Filed in the Middle District of Florida, the lawsuit names The New York Times and Times reporters Peter Baker, Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig, and Michael Schmidt as defendants. The lawsuit also names Penguin Random House — the publisher of Craig and Buettner’s book “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success” — as a defendant.

“Today, the Times is a fullthroated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party. The newspaper’s editorial routine is now one of industrial-scale defamation and libel against political opponents,” the lawsuit claimed.

Trump’s lawyers allege that The New York Times and Penguin Random House sought to not only damage the president’s “hard-earned and world-renowned reputation for business success,” but also hurt his chances of winning the 2024 election.

“President Trump brings this suit to highlight that principle and to clearly state to all Americans exhausted by, and furious at, the decades of journalistic corruption, that the era of unchecked, deliberate defamation by the Times and other legacy media outlets is over,” the lawsuit said.

A New York Times spokesperson said the lawsuit has no merit.

“It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting,” the Times spokesperson said. “The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.”

Penguin Random House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

“President Trump’s transcendent ability to defy wrongful conventions has been vividly reflected in his successful undertaking to restore integrity to journalism, and repair the immense damage caused by legacy media outlets such as the Times for the better part of a decade,” the lawsuit said.

In July, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal after the Journal reported that Trump allegedly sent disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein a bawdy letter in 2003 that was included in a book made for Epstein’s 50th birthday, which Trump has denied.

In response to that suit, a spokesperson for Journal owner Dow Jones said, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”

13 people hurt in 2 mass shootings at Minneapolis homeless encampments on the same day

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(MINNEAPOLIS) — At least 13 people have been wounded, five critically, in two shootings that erupted over a span of 12 hours at homeless encampments in Minneapolis with the city’s mayor saying he wouldn’t be surprised if they are connected.

The shootings on Monday marked the fourth and fifth mass shootings to occur in Minneapolis in the past three weeks, including one on Aug. 27 at Annunciation Catholic School that left two children dead and 21 people injured.

“This is tragic. It’s horrible. It’s unacceptable, and, sadly, it’s not surprising,” Mayor Jacob Frey said at a news conference early Tuesday.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the city’s latest mass shooting unfolded Monday night at a notorious homeless encampment in southeast Minneapolis, in which eight people were shot and an estimated 30 shots were fired.

“Here we are yet again in the aftermath of a mass shooting. This is not normal,” O’Hara said.

O’Hara said the shooting at the homeless encampment on South 28th Avenue and East Lake Street occurred around 10 p.m. local time. He said an officer working at a Target store nearby was approached by multiple people “running and telling him that there was gunfire at the encampment.”

“The officer exited the store and heard gunfire coming from the area of the encampment,” O’Hara said.

Upon arrival, officers found five people wounded, including two people, a man and a woman, discovered inside tents suffering from bullet wounds to the head, O’Hara said. He said three other gunshot victims showed up at hospitals on their own.

O’Hara said at least four of the victims had life-threatening gunshot wounds.

The chief said multiple shell casings were recovered from the scene, leading investigators to believe that someone inside the encampment exchanged gunfire with the shooter who targeted the encampment.

O’Hara said that in addition to the shooting, a fire broke out in one of the tents while police were on scene and that that firefighters were called to extinguish the blaze.

No arrests have been announced in the shooting.

O’Hara said detectives are investigating the possibility that the shooting is connected to earlier gunfire at a nearby homeless encampment that left five people injured, including one in life-threatening condition. He said the earlier shooting occurred just after 11 a.m. near the intersection of East Lake Street and Stevens Avenue.

“While the investigation is still very, very preliminary, that is certainly something that we can’t rule out, and, of course, it’s something that we are considering,” O’Hara said.

Asked about the possible connection between the two shootings, Frey added, “We don’t know for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Frey said the city has been trying for months to clear the homeless encampment at South 28th Avenue and East Lake Street, the scene of Monday night’s shooting. He said the encampment is on private property and that the city’s attempts to clear it have been met with resistance by the owner of the property.

“These homeless encampments are not safe either for the people that are in them, nor are they safe for the surrounding neighborhood. With this particular one, we’ve been saying this for months. We have been met with resistance for trying to clear this particular encampment,” Frey said.

In addition to the Annunciation Catholic School shooting, in which the suspect, 23-year-old Robin Westman, died by suicide, Minneapolis police investigated an Aug. 26 mass shooting that left one man dead and five other people wounded in southwest Minneapolis.

At the time, O’Hara said the shooter walked up to a group of people standing at the corner of East 29th Street and Clinton Avenue South and unleashed a barrage of at least 30 shots with a high-powered rifle before fleeing.

No arrests have been announced.

Kash Patel faces questions on Charlie Kirk investigation in congressional hearing

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — FBI Director Kash Patel kicked off two days of questioning on Tuesday from congressional committees about his tenure leading the FBI so far. He’s also facing questions about the assassination of conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk last week.

In his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday, Patel addressed his handling of the Kirk investigation — something he faced criticism for after he shared on social media at one point that a suspect was in custody, but then had to backtrack an hour and a half later.

Patel contends this only happened because he ordered “against all law enforcement recommendations,” as he said on X on Saturday, the release of video and enhanced photos of the suspect.

“We cannot do our job without the American public and credible reporting in the media,” Patel said. “And that’s why Tyler Robinson is in custody today about to face charges.”

Patel addressed criticism that he has faced for how he handled the investigation on “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning.

For his part, President Donald Trump is standing behind Patel. Asked for his thoughts on Patel’s performance Tuesday morning, Trump said he supports Patel and that he has “confidence in everyone in the administration.”

Patel is facing questions on a host of other issues while he has been at the helm of the FBI, including the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Patel testified that Epstein was not an FBI informant as some have claimed.

Bondi faces criticism for saying DOJ will ‘target’ anyone who engages in ‘hate speech’

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Attorney General Pam Bondi faced bipartisan backlash Tuesday over her comments that the Justice Department “will absolutely target” anyone who targets others with “hate speech” in the wake of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Bondi made the comments in a podcast interview with Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

“There’s free speech and then there’s hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society,” Bondi said.

“Do you see more law enforcement going after these groups who are using hate speech and putting cuffs on people so we show them some action is better than no action?” Miller asked in response.

“We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech — and that’s across the aisle,” Bondi responded.

Bondi’s comments quickly gained traction across social media, with some users replying with a 2024 post from Charlie Kirk, in which he wrote: “Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America free.”

“Someone needs to explain to Ms. Bondi that so-called ‘hate speech,’ repulsive though it may be, is protected by the First Amendment. She should know this,” conservative commentator Brit Hume wrote on X.

Bondi issued a defiant statement from her X account on Tuesday morning in response to mounting backlash.

“Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime,” Bondi wrote. “For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over.”

Bondi listed out several criminal statutes the Justice Department has historically deployed to prosecute threats of violence.

“You cannot call for someone’s murder. You cannot swat a Member of Congress. You cannot dox a conservative family and think it will be brushed off as ‘free speech.’ These acts are punishable crimes, and every single threat will be met with the full force of the law,” Bondi wrote.

“Free speech protects ideas, debate, even dissent but it does NOT and will NEVER protect violence. It is clear this violent rhetoric is designed to silence others from voicing conservative ideals,” she posted.

In a separate interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Monday evening, Bondi also suggested she has directed the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to “prosecute” businesses that refuse to print Kirk’s pictures for vigils. It is not clear what criminal statute would be relevant in that instance.

Bondi’s comments come as President Donald Trump and other senior White House officials have repeatedly said they would use the Justice Department in the wake of Kirk’s assassination to explicitly target left wing groups.

During Trump’s first administration, Justice Department officials repeatedly resisted attempts by Trump and the White House to designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization — a move they described as “highly problematic” and which would likely run afoul of the First Amendment.

The First Amendment protects the rights of Americans who like spewing “hateful speech” and “assembling with others who share the same hateful views,” so “unless an organization engages solely in unprotected activity, such as committing crimes of violence, any designation of a (U.S.-based) organization as a terrorist organization … would likely run afoul of the First Amendment,” Mary McCord, the former head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, told a House panel in January of 2020.

Fulton County DA Fani Willis remains disqualified from Trump’s Georgia election interference case

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(ATLANTA, Ga.) — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will remain disqualified from prosecuting the election interference case against President Donald Trump and others, after the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear her appeal of the matter.

“Members of the public may well be interested in the case underlying this petition for certiorari,” the concurring opinion read. “But our focus in assessing whether to grant review under our certiorari jurisdiction is on the law of Georgia.”

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Carla McMillian wrote the case “warrants reconsideration, and the issue is likely to recur.”

Tuesday’s ruling on the criminal racketeering case appears to put an end to the nearly two-year legal saga that derailed the prosecution, which began in January of 2024 after Willis was first accused of misconduct by Michael Roman, one of Trump’s codefendants, over her relationship with one of the prosecutors on the case.

An independent body — the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia — will now be tasked with assigning an independent prosecutor to take over the case and determine its fate.

In a statement, Willis said “I disagree” with the decision, but said she would begin the process of turning the case over to the council.

“I hope that whoever is assigned to handle the case will have the courage to do what the evidence and the law demand,” Willis said.

An attorney for President Trump, Steve Sadow, celebrating the ruling, saying the court “correctly denied review.”

“This proper decision should bring an end to the wrongful political, lawfare persecutions of the President,” Sadow said.

Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty in August 2023 to all charges in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.

The charges, which were brought following Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which he asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed to win the state, allege that the defendants solicited state leaders throughout the country, harassed and misled a Georgia election worker, and pushed phony claims that the election was stolen, all in an effort for Trump to remain in power despite his election loss.

Defendants Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis and Scott Hall subsequently took plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against other defendants.

Trump has blasted the district attorney’s investigation as being politically motivated.

Luigi Mangione: Judge tosses 2 state murder charges related to act of terrorism

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A judge dismissed two murder charges related to acts of terrorism as Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, made his first Manhattan courtroom appearance in five months on Tuesday.

Judge Gregory Carro tossed out the most severe charge, first-degree murder, accusing Mangione of murder as a crime of terrorism.

The judge said the evidence presented to the grand jury was insufficient to support the terrorism charge.

Carro also tossed a second-degree murder charge, related to killing as an act of terrorism.

The rest of the indictment remains, with the judge refusing to dismiss another second-degree murder charge, to which the accused killer has pleaded not guilty.

Mangione will be tried in state court on a charge of intentional murder in connection with Thompson’s murder.

Mangione returned to a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday for the first time in five months, hoping the judge will either dismiss state murder and terrorism charges or suppress evidence seized during his arrest.

Mangione is accused of shooting and killing CEO Brian Thompson with a 9 mm handgun equipped with a silencer on a Midtown Manhattan street on Dec. 4, 2024.

After a several-day manhunt, Mangione was captured in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

When police found Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, he was carrying a backpack that investigators said contained the alleged murder weapon, a fake ID and a red notebook he used as a diary.

“I finally feel confident about what I will do,” one entry said, according to authorities. “The target is insurance. It checks every box.”The defense argued police lacked a warrant, making the search of the backpack illegal.

A federal grand jury charged Mangione in April with two counts of stalking, firearms offense and murder through the use of a firearm, a charge that makes him eligible for the death penalty, if convicted.

He also faces state charges in New York in connection with the shooting.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges in New York and Pennsylvania as well as the federal charges. The simultaneous prosecutions put him in what his attorneys have called an “untenable situation” and they’ve asked Judge Gregory Carro to dismiss the state case, or at least put it on hold.

Prosecutors are hoping the judge will set a date for trial.Mangione is also being ordered to appear in a Pennsylvania courtroom regarding those state charges. While he is currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the Blair County District Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania wants the accused killer to appear in court for a pretrial motion hearing scheduled for Nov. 7.

In Pennsylvania, Mangione has pleaded not guilty to charges of forgery, possession of an instrument of a crime and giving a false ID to an officer.

Special election to fill slain Minnesota lawmaker’s seat shines light on political violence

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Minnesotans are set to vote Tuesday in the special election to replace Melissa Hortman, the former Democratic Minnesota House speaker who was killed alongside her husband at their home in June, a politically motivated killing thrust back into the spotlight after the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

The election has significant political implications, too, due to Republicans’ one-seat edge in the statehouse.

Voters will choose between Democratic nominee XP Lee, a former Brooklyn Park City Council member, and Republican nominee Ruth Bittner, a real estate agent.

Lee told The Associated Press that continuing Hortman’s legacy is one of the reasons why he is running for her former seat.

“It makes me want to focus on healing and coming together even more,” he said. “You know, I wouldn’t be running if it wasn’t for the murder of Melissa Hortman. So I am very conscious of political and gun violence. So I want to help our community heal.”

Born in a refugee camp in Thailand after his family fled the Vietnam War, Lee says he is focused on improving education and access to health care.

Lee won the Democratic primary last month over two others with 59% of the vote, according to KSTP. On Sunday, he was joined for a door-knocking event by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who encouraged the community to cast their ballots in favor of the Democratic candidate.

Lee is favored to win in Hortman’s blue-leaning home district, which would restore the chamber to a 67-67 deadlock.

The Republican contender similarly seeks to honor the late Minnesota House speaker, with Bittner telling MPR News that Hortman was a “very unique individual” and that “we will not be trying to replace her.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, Bittner was concerned about running for office amidst the heightened environment of political violence, but she emphasized that “we have to move forward as a country” and argued that “there’s no way to solve this problem if we shrink back in fear.”

Bittner is capitalizing on her lack of political experience, branding herself as a new voice that is focused on eliminating government inefficiencies and improving public safety and education.

The candidates have acknowledged the fear plaguing Minnesotans in recent days, with Lee noting that he has spoken to citizens that have brought up the Charlie Kirk shooting and the Annunciation Church shooting that took place in their state — two instances of violence that had occurred after Hortman’s murder.

Hortman’s alleged killer, Vance Boelter, is charged with shooting and killing Hortman and her husband Mark at their home in Brooklyn Park and shooting and wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their house in nearby Champlin in the early hours of June 14, authorities said.

Boelter allegedly showed up at their doors, impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic-looking latex mask to carry out his “political assassinations,” prosecutors said.

Investigators recovered a list of about 45 elected officials in notebooks in Boelter’s car, according to prosecutors. The alleged shooter’s list of potential targets also included the names of abortion providers and pro-choice activists, several sources told ABC News. Many of the Democratic lawmakers on the list have been outspoken about pro-choice policy positions, two sources said.

Tyler Robinson set to face formal charges in shooting death of Charlie Kirk

September 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Formal charges are expected to be announced on Tuesday against Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin accused of shooting Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray is set to hold a news conference to announce the charges against Robinson after they are filed in the late morning and will be made available to the public immediately after that, according to Utah County officials.

Robinson is also scheduled to make his first court appearance later on Tuesday and Utah County officials will be providing more information during the press conference announcing the formal charges.

Robinson was arrested last week for felony discharge of a firearm, aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, according to probable cause documents, and was booked into the Utah County Jail.

A motive has not been revealed by officials, despite Vice President JD Vance saying “left-wing extremism” is “part of the reason” Kirk was killed.

Robinson was apprehended after his father recognized him in photographs released by authorities, Cox said on Friday. His father told Robinson to turn himself in, with the 22-year-old initially saying no, but later changing his mind, officials said.

In a press briefing from the Oval Office Monday evening, President Donald Trump said it appeared Robinson became radicalized on the internet.

“Something happened to him over a fairly short period of time. It looks like he was radicalized over the internet, and it’s radicalized on the left. He’s a left,” Trump claimed.

Before the arrest of the alleged shooter, officials said they had obtained “good” video footage of the individual and were able to track the movements of the suspect.

Meanwhile, Robinson is alleged to have had an “obsession” with the conservative influencer, based on the alleged shooter’s digital footprint, FBI Co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday on Fox News.

Bongino said the suspect appeared to have exhibited “multiple warning signs.”

“I believe co-workers stated he had detached himself when the topic of politics came up and walked away,” Bongino said on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”

Bongino said they are looking into whether anyone knew the shooting could happen and didn’t alert authorities, referring to online chats Robinson allegedly had about Kirk.

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