The head of the National Counterterrorism Center examined F.B.I.
files in the last several weeks to investigate whether the man charged
with assassinating Charlie Kirk had support from someone else, a foreign power or another entity, according to multiple people with knowledge of the matter.
The inquiry by Joe Kent, the director of the counterterrorism center, alarmed Kash Patel, the director of the F.B.I. Mr. Patel and other senior officials believed
Mr. Kent was overstepping, treading on F.B.I. responsibilities and
potentially interfering with the investigation and the prosecution of
the suspect, Tyler Robinson.
But supporters of Mr. Kent
say he was doing his job, running down leads and making sure no foreign
or domestic groups were linked to Mr. Kirk's death.
Mr. Robinson, 22, is accused of killing Mr. Kirk last month as the
conservative activist made an appearance at a college campus in Utah,
one of many where he would, one student at a time, debate contentious
topics. State prosecutors in Utah have charged Mr. Robinson with seven
counts, including felony aggravated murder.
The Senate confirmed Mr. Kent as director of the counterterrorism center in July. He is one of the closest advisers to Tulsi Gabbard,
the director of national intelligence, and shares her focus on
traditional terrorism groups as well as drug cartels, which he argues
are a grave threat to the United States.
Mr. Patel was troubled that Mr. Kent had gone through F.B.I. material
related to the case, according to the people knowledgeable on the
matter. Mr. Kent's efforts were a topic at a White House meeting
that included Mr. Patel, Mr. Kent and his direct superior, Ms. Gabbard.
Top Justice Department officials, Vice President JD Vance and the White
House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, were also there, according to several of the people who spoke to The New York Times about the matter.
The people interviewed by The Times were granted anonymity to speak frankly about internal dynamics in the Trump administration.
The F.B.I. and the Justice Department generally keep tight control over
evidence in criminal cases, particularly when they are preparing for a
trial, in which government documents may have to be turned over to the
defense and could be used to poke holes in the prosecution's case.
While
Mr. Robinson is currently facing only state charges, some
administration officials were concerned that Mr. Kent's efforts could
provide fodder to defense lawyers, who could use the notion that more
than one person was involved in Mr. Kirk's killing to raise reasonable
doubt in the minds of jurors, said those aware of the matter.
Since
Mr. Kirk's death, some White House officials have pressed for sweeping
federal investigations of liberal groups and donors, and some of the
president's allies outside the administration are convinced that the
killing is part of a broader plot, despite a lack of evidence that has
been presented to support that.
Comment: Not enough evidence? Are you kidding? There are mountains of evidence that US-Israel players had him rubbed out but mainstream media won't touch it.
