FBI hunting down dozens in chat group linked to alleged Kirk killer

Kash Patel confirmed that the FBI is investigating 'a lot more than 20 users' who were included in an online chat room with alleged Charlie Kirk assassin.

The FBI director vowed during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday that his agents are 'running them all down.'

It was leaked last week that Tyler Robinson, 22, was involved in a Discord group chat that allegedly included messages plotting Kirk's murder ahead of the attack on Utah Valley University's campus on September 10, 2025.

Discord – a popular messaging platform among gamers – disputes these claims and insists its platform was not used for discussing the attack beforehand.

But Patel says his agency is investigating and interrogating dozens associated with the chat group.

Director Patel also credited his social media transparency with now having the alleged killer in custody.

Amid a slew of criticism over his active online activity in the early hours of the investigation last week, Patel defended his decision to post in real time what the FBI was doing and finding.

'It's important that this FBI is as transparent as possible without jeopardizing investigations,' Patel said during an FBI oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Robinson was taken into custody just 33 hours after Kirk was shot in the neck at an open forum debate on the college campus last week. 

On the day of Kirk's murder, Patel announced on X that the 'the subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.' 

But just 90 minutes later the FBI Director provided an update that the 'subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement.'

This caused an uproar from critics claiming that he was botching the investigation.

Judiciary Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) accused Patel of being 'anxious to take credit' for finding the killer.

'Director Patel sparked mass confusion by incorrectly stating on social media that the shooter was in custody,' Durbin noted at Tuesday's hearing. 

'Mr. Patel was so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk's assassin that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement – at critical stages of an investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job.

But Patel defended his decisions to update Americans in real time.

He claimed that the only reason the suspect was identified by his family was because of the rapid and widespread release of new evidence.

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'Charlie Kirk was shot at 12:23 pm on September 10 – I think this timeline is critically important,' Patel noted.

He continued: 'Less than a day later the FBI, at my direction, released the first set of images of the suspect that we captured based on our analysis on the ground.'

Patel said that same evening, after releasing new video and enhanced images of the suspect, law enforcement had him in custody.

He recalled on Tuesday that the suspect's own father stated: 'When I saw that video that you released, I recognized it was my son, and I confronted him.'

The FBI Director concluded: 'That is the FBI working with the public, as a promise, to being transparent and providing critical information along the way in the manhunt for the suspect or suspects involved in Charlie's assassination.'

Patel's appearance before the committee conducting oversight on the FBI was scheduled for Tuesday before Kirk's assassination.

But after the tragedy taking the life of the conservative icon last week, much of the focus of the hearing turned to growing political violence in the U.S. and how firearms and online radicalization play a part in that.

Senators questioned Patel on what can be done to address threatening online activity without stifling the free speech of Americans.

Sen. Lindsay Graham noted, 'Free speech doesn't allow you to go on the internet and basically incite somebody to kill another person,' to which Director Patel agreed.

Patel discussed at the hearing on Tuesday a leaked Discord group chat that the suspected assassin was part of and that allegedly included plotting Kirk's murder.

It was reported that Robinson spoke with dozens on this platform and the FBI is looking to speak with them all. 

There are other groups the FBI is investigating as part of the probe into Kirk's political assassination.

President Donald Trump said during an event at the White House on Monday that he believed Robinson was radicalized online.

Asked during an event at the White House if the alleged gunman worked alone, Trump said: 'I don't know. I mean, I can tell you he didn't work alone on the internet because it seems he became radicalized on the internet.'

Asked if social media companies hold any responsibility for online radicalization, Attorney General Pam Bondi cut in to say that parents need to be monitoring their kids' online activity.

Patel admitted on Monday that the X post about having a suspect in custody last week could have 'been worded a little better.'

'I was being transparent with working with the public on our findings as I had then,' Patel explained on Fox & Friends. '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.'

'The job of the FBI is… to eliminate targets and eliminate subjects who are not involved in the process,' he continued.

'Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment, sure. But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not,' the director doubled-down.

It's true that the public has demanded more transparency from the FBI, with conspiracies swirling that the agency is covering up damning information and hiding unflattering truths from the American public – especially when it comes to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

'I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing it and I am continuing to do that, 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,' Patel said.

Durbin is highly critical of Patel serving at the helm of the FBI. He questioned his authority to serve as the federal government's lead law enforcement official and said Tuesday he's 'arguably the most partisan FBI Director ever.'

'I'm honored to be the 9th director of the FBI,' Patel said during his opening remarks.

He insisted: 'I'm not going anywhere. If you want to criticize my 16 years of service – please, bring it on.'