Kash Patel is leaving no stone unturned in the investigation into the shooting of Charlie Kirk, conspiracy theories included.
The FBI director penned an X screed on Sunday assuring the public that his agency was committed to “pursuing every lead to its conclusion” as the conservative activist’s supporters paid homage to him in a massive Arizona funeral.
“The full weight of America’s law enforcement agencies are actively following the evidence that has emerged, but our efforts extend beyond initial findings,” Patel wrote. “We are examining every facet of this assassination.”
Authorities have apprehended the suspect in Kirk’s shooting at Utah Valley University, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, but that hasn’t stopped conspiracy theorists from floating wild takes on the shocking assassination.
Patel, whose appointment to the helm of the FBI received intense scrutiny over his own history of advancing conspiracy theories, vowed to examine a laundry list of “theories and questions” about Kirk’s shooting.
Patel nodded to all sorts of bonkers speculation, from “the angle of the shot and bullet impact” to “hand gestures observed as potential ‘signals’ near Charlie at the time of his assassination,” in an apparent reference to a video showing two men behind Kirk making gestures—one touching his hat and another touching his arm—that some have flagged as suspicious.
“Some details are known today, while others are still being pursued to ensure every possibility is considered,” he said.
Patel also dedicated a portion of his post to shutting down conspiracies related to a private jet that theorists allege was used to help the shooter flee the scene.
The jet, which took off from Provo Airport shortly after Kirk was shot dead, was registered to Derek Maxfield’s online marketing company Komigo. Some online sleuths wondered whether the aircraft played a role in the crime after noticing a gap in publicly available flight data.
“After interviews with the pilot and consultation with the FAA, we determined the transponder was not turned off. Incomplete flight data in rural areas caused the apparent gap,” Patel explained.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Maxfield was also forced to confront the conspiracies in a Facebook post.
“As often happens, unfortunately, in the wake of such terrifying and public events, a variety of baseless theories and suspicions around Mr. Kirk’s murder immediately took hold on social media, including one that has unfairly impacted our family,” he wrote last week. “Any suggestion that the flights by N888KG yesterday are in any way connected to the tragic shooting of Mr. Kirk is inaccurate, false and without any credible basis of any kind.”
Patel has taken heat—even from his own base—over the FBI’s bungled response to Kirk’s killing. Authorities initially apprehended two persons of interest but later released them after determining they were not responsible for the crime.
