NBC News reports the federal investigation into the assassination of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk has yet to uncover a link between alleged shooter Tyler Robinson and the left-wing groups that President Donald Trump and his administration have pledged to prosecute.
“Every indication so far is that this was one guy who did one really bad thing because he found Kirk’s ideology personally offensive,” an anonymous source familiar with the investigation told NBC.
Two other anonymous sources familiar with the investigation told NBC it may not even be easy to charge Robinson at the federal level for the alleged assassination, considering Robinson, a Utah resident, did not travel from out of state to allegedly commit the murder. Kirk was shot during an open campus debate at Utah Valley University.
Additionally, Kirk is not a federal officer or elected official, which NBC reports further complicates categorizing the investigation as a federal matter.
Robinson is currently facing state charges, chiefly for aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, among others. State prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Officially, Trump’s Department of Justice offered no comment on the issue.
“The investigation is ongoing and beyond that we decline to comment,” a spokesperson told NBC.
Thomas Brzozowski, former Justice Department’s counsel for domestic terrorism, told NBC News that while Kirk’s assassination appears to meet the definition of domestic terrorism, identifying a federal charge to bring against the shooter may prove a challenge.
“As is always the case, the FBI needs a federal hook to initiate an investigation,” Brzozowski said, adding that currently the FBI is “acting in an assistance to state authorities’ capacity.”
Prosecutors can seek a sentencing enhancement after conviction.
Despite the current absence of evidence linking the suspect to left-wing groups, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller was quick to demonize such organizations, calling them a “vast domestic terror movement.”
“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,” Miller said, according to NBC. “It will happen, and we will do it in Charlie’s name.”