Former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent said Monday that FBI Director Kash Patel ordered investigators to stop working on Charlie Kirk’s murder case.
In an interview with The Daily Caller, Kent said federal authorities curtailed his team’s investigative efforts, pointing to a top-down decision that halted further inquiry. He said the FBI imposed the restriction following direct orders from Patel.
“You said that you were stopped from investigating this. Who specifically stopped you?” Daily Caller’s Editor-in-Chief Amber Duke asked Kent. “And did that come specifically from Director Patel?”
“It did. Yeah, it was part of a discussion that he and I had back and forth, and then, ultimately, that was the decision that was made,” Kent said.
WATCH:
Joe Kent On The War That Broke MAGA | w/ Amber Duke https://t.co/UIFaKRlnKm
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 25, 2026
Federal authorities have not released a fresh large‑scale briefing or unveiled substantial new leads since late 2025. Legal proceedings for the accused shooter, 22‑year‑old Tyler Robinson, continue in court. Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder and other offenses in Utah. In hearings held over the past few months. Robinson’s legal team has sought to disqualify prosecutors.
The FBI did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Kent was asked whether he would testify and how he views criticism from “The Charlie Kirk Show” producer Blake Neff and Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet.
“So what the FBI will say when they would tell us that we couldn’t continue to look into the case, they would say, ‘Hey, you can’t look into the case anymore because if you do, you could be called by the defense.’ And to me, I just said, ‘OK, if the defense wants to call me, I’m OK with that,’” Kent said. “I’m not volunteering. I’m not defending. I’m not a supporting witness or anything, but I’m saying in order to complete the investigation, I’m not going to stop because there’s a threat that says like, ‘Oh, you’re going to have to be called. You could be called to the stand by the defense.’ So to me, that never seemed like a solid reason for not continuing the investigation.”
Kolvet said Monday he sent Kent private messages from Kirk that were later published by Candace Owens. Kolvet confirmed sharing the group chat contents with Kent but said he could not confirm that Kent was responsible for the leak to Owens.
Neff said the text messages fueled a major conspiracy theory claiming Israel or Jewish individuals orchestrated Kirk’s assassination, while he and Kolvet both rejected that claim.
“B]ehind the scenes we have given everything we know to give, every single piece of information,” Kolvet said. “This was one of them. I was told I could trust Joe Kent. I provided the screen grabs to Joe Kent. And I don’t know what happened to them at that point. I just want to make that very clear.”
During a Friday appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” Kent insisted he committed no wrongdoing.
“As for the leak allegations, I’m not concerned because I know I did nothing wrong,” Kent said. “Of course, I am concerned because we’ve all seen the FBI and the full way the government comes down on individuals who speak out. So that has been a little concerning, but I know the truth, and the facts are on my side.”
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/X/Daily Caller)
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