“We have to talk about this incredibly destructive movement… I believe it is part of the reason why Charlie was killed by an assassin’s bullet,” Vance said. “We’re going to talk about how to dismantle that and how to bring real unity, real unity that can only come when we tell the truth and everybody knows that they can speak their mind about the issues of the day without being cut down by a murderer’s gun.”
While speaking to Stephen Miller, Vance rejected accusations that the administration’s response to the killing would infringe on free speech. “You have the crazies on the far left who are saying, 'oh, Stephen Miller and JD Vance, they’re going to go after constitutionally protected speech.' No, we’re going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates, and engages in violence. That’s not okay,” he said.
Miller said Kirk himself had warned of the danger. “The last message that Charlie sent me was, I think it was just the day before we lost him, which is that we need to have an organized strategy to go after the left-wing organizations that are promoting violence in this country,” Miller explained. “I will write those words onto my heart, and I will carry them out.”
He continued, “The organized doxxing campaigns, the organized riots, the organized street violence, the organized campaigns of dehumanization, vilification, posting people’s addresses… it is a vast domestic terror movement. And with God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and destroy these networks and make America safe again for the American people. It will happen, and we will do it in Charlie’s name.”
Charlie was assassinated publicly on September 10 at Utah Valley University. Authorities charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with first-degree murder after his father recognized him in FBI footage and contacted law enforcement. Robinson ultimately surrendered to US Marshals.
While investigators continue to examine motive, evidence points to Robinson’s involvement in leftist ideology and online subcultures. Utah Governor Spencer Cox has confirmed that Robinson was “deep in leftist ideology.”
Recovered shell casings bore engravings linked to Antifa and internet memes popular in transgender and furry circles. One casing was marked with the phrase “Notices bulge OwO what’s this?”—a meme originating on DeviantArt in 2013 and widely used in pro-trans and furry communities. Other casings carried inscriptions such as “Hey fascist! Catch!” and lyrics from the Italian communist song “Bella Ciao.”
Authorities also discovered that Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, Lance “Luna” Twiggs, identified as transgender and publicly expressed support for former President Joe Biden. Social media posts showed Twiggs wearing furry accessories.
The New York Post reported that Robinson himself maintained an account on FurAffinity.net, a platform for sexually explicit anthropomorphic artwork.
Dishonst media outlets and left-wing commentators have claimed he was connected to right-wing movements. Reports pointed to his family’s Mormon roots and relatives who support Donald Trump. However, Robinson had long distanced himself from the church and was not active in its teachings.
Family members have stated Robinson openly criticized Kirk, saying the conservative leader was “full of hate and spreading hate.” Those remarks, Vance and Miller stressed, align more with far-left hostility than with conservative politics.
The FBI is probing far-left groups in Utah to determine if they had prior knowledge of the plot. One collective, the Armed Queers of Salt Lake City, deleted its social media accounts in the days following the shooting.
FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that Robinson left a written note stating, “I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
Patel confirmed that DNA found on a towel wrapped around the firearm matched Robinson’s.
