Bari Weiss Poaches ABC News Reporter Who Said Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin’s Texts Were ‘Touching’

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss hired ABC News reporter Matt Gutman, who called Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin’s text messages with his transgender boyfriend “touching,” to become a chief correspondent.

Gutman apologized for making the remarks about the text messages, in which he described during a Sept. 16 segment that Tyler Robinson, who is alleged to have killed Kirk, expressed his love to his trans-identifying lover, Lance Twiggs. He will now leave ABC News to report for “CBS Mornings,” “CBS Evening News,” serve as a lead correspondent for “48 Hours” and contribute to “60 Minutes,” according to CBS News’ press release.

Gutman is expected to start his new role on Jan. 5, according to the release.

Weiss and CBS President Tom Cibrowski expressed excitement about Gutman’s upcoming role.

“Matt Gutman goes there. He brings the audience along with him to whatever story he is covering, and he approaches his work with the qualities we look for in all our journalists: fearlessness, energy and relentlessness,” Weiss said. “I cannot wait for him to get started.”

“I have worked with Matt for decades and I have seen his innate ability to take viewers into a story,” Cibrowski said. “Whether he’s on the frontlines of a conflict or the scene of a rescue mission, he has the power to connect with people in a way that informs and engages. He has a sharp news sense, an acute ability to deliver immersive storytelling and a deep appreciation of history that will be an asset to all of us.”