Last week’s tragic assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk shocked the nation and spurred an immediate -- and ultimately successful -- manhunt to locate the accused killer.
It was not long before FBI Director Kash Patel found himself under fire for what critics said was a series of embarrassing blunders in the early hours of the investigation, though President Donald Trump has since stepped forward to defend the agency and its leader, as Politico reports.
The immediate aftermath of Kirk’s killing saw the start of an intense, coordinated law enforcement effort to identify and arrest the perpetrator.
Indeed, not long after the shooting, social media users posted video of a man being handcuffed and led away by police, though it later emerged that he was not suspected of shooting Kirk.
Patel himself posted that same day that another “subject” had been taken into custody, only to reveal two hours later that the individual had been “released after an interrogation by law enforcement.”
Adding fuel to the fire were reports that just hours after Kirk was gunned down in front of a stunned Utah Valley University crowd, Patel was spotted dining at Rao’s, a high-end, New York City eatery in what was viewed as tone-deaf move, given the critical work in which his agency was then engaged.
Among the growing list of prominent names casting doubt on the director’s suitability for his current role were those of conservative commentator Christopher Rufo, who said that it was “time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI” and of Erick Erickson, who echoed his sentiments and said, “The FBI situation is concerning.”
Countering those assessments was Trump himself, who said in a Saturday Fox News interview, “I am very proud of the FBI. Kash -- and everyone else -- they have done a great job.”
White House communications director Steven Cheung also came to Patel’s defense, issuing a statement to Politico on Saturday.
“Director Patel and his team worked night and day to find this murderer and bring him to justice,” Cheung began.
The White House official continued, “Anyone who doubts his resolve and dedication -- especially when Charlie was such a close friend to him -- simply is using this extremely sad moment in a disgusting act of political gamesmanship.”
Cheung concluded, “The focus was on catching this killer, and he will face the full wrath of the justice system.”
On Friday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced the arrest of suspected killer Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old man expected to face formal charges next week.
For Patel’s part, he is slated to appear on Capitol Hill in the coming week, where he will almost certainly be questioned about the manner in which the investigation unfolded, and undoubtedly, the nation will be watching.
