FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday reportedly defended his agency’s response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, insisting that the bureau acted responsibly and transparently, even as critics questioned a misleading tweet he issued during the operation.
The controversy stems from a post Patel sent at 6:21 p.m. on Sept. 10, just hours after Kirk was gunned down at Utah Valley University. “The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” Patel wrote. Ninety minutes later, he clarified in a second post that the “subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement.”
The apparent contradiction sparked questions inside law enforcement and gave some officials “pause.” Critics suggested the initial post created confusion at a moment of national grief and outrage.
Patel, however, has refused to apologize for his approach. Appearing on Fox & Friends, he acknowledged that the language “could have been worded a little better in the heat of the moment.”
But he argued the FBI had acted in good faith and with unusual candor for such a high-profile investigation.
The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with @fbi.
We will provide updates when able.— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 10, 2025
“I appreciate this opportunity,” Patel told co-host Brian Kilmeade. “Look, as I stated, I was being transparent with working with the public on our findings as I had them. I stated in that message that we had a ‘subject.’ And that we were going to interview him. And we did and he was released.”
For Patel, the distinction is key: the FBI’s mission is not only to apprehend suspects, but also to eliminate innocent individuals from suspicion as quickly as possible. “The job of the FBI is not just to manhunt the actual suspect who did the killing or suspects,” he explained, “but it’s also to eliminate targets and eliminate subjects who are not involved in the process. That’s what we were doing.”
Pressed on whether his post had contributed to public confusion, Patel doubled down. “Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment, sure,” he admitted. “But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not.”
Patel maintained that his approach reflects a new era of accountability for the bureau, one that prioritizes openness with the American people. “I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing it and I am continuing to do that,” he said. “And I challenge anyone out there to find a director who has been more transparent and more willing to work the media on high profile cases, or any case that the FBI is handling, than we have been.”
The assassination of Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, has rattled conservatives and drawn condemnation across the political spectrum.
But it has also placed the FBI under the microscope, as Americans demand answers about how such a brazen act of political violence could unfold on a college campus.
In defending his record, Patel signaled he is determined to keep the bureau engaged with the public, even if that transparency occasionally invites criticism.
[READ MORE: Chris Cuomo Criticizes Elon Musk Following Charlie Kirk Assassination, Sparks Backlash]
