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One former FBI official sounded the alarm on a dangerous “assassination culture” in the nation as investigators revealed new information about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer, including reports he was in a romantic relationship with his transgender roommate.
Retired FBI supervisory agent James Gagliano warned Sunday that the country is facing a dangerous rise in the ideation and explained how these investigations are “layered.”
“We’re seeing this new ideation, which is assassination culture. What does that consist of?” Gagliano wondered.
He said it begins with a grievance, then a feeling of superiority in ideology and, finally, moral absolutism.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK
“You believe that you are superior. Your thinking is superior. And I have the right to take your life because I disagree with you,” he said.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, greets supporters at UC San Diego during his American Comeback Tour event in San Diego May 1, 2025. (Michael Ho Wai Lee/Getty Images)
Gagliano said people consumed by this mindset can become radicalized and seek to carry out public killings, framing them as political or ideological statements. He added that the United States has long struggled with political violence.
“In our 250-year history, four sitting presidents have been assassinated. We’re conditioned, sadly … that that’s normal,” he said.
Gagliano said that while the assassin achieved his goal, the FBI will now probe more deeply into why the suspect allegedly carried out the attack the way he did.
FAMILY TURNS IN SUSPECT IN CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION, ‘ALMOST UNHEARD OF’: BEHAVIOR SPECIALIST
“Was he inspired by somebody or something, and was he directed or did anybody provide any material support? That’s important.”
The booking photo for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspected gunman in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)
Authorities said Tyler Robinson, 22, lived with a transgender roommate he was romantically involved with in Utah. Officials have touted the individual’s cooperation with investigators and said this person is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Just before Robinson allegedly opened fire, an audience member asked Kirk about past shootings by individuals who identified as transgender.
Shortly after Kirk responded, he was shot and killed, leaving behind his wife and two young children.
Criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter said Robinson’s roommate could be a “wealth of information” for investigators seeking to understand the motive behind the attack.
Charlie Kirk’s casket is removed from Air Force Two at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Sept. 11, 2025. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
“As we’re starting to learn about this relationship that he may have had, that starts to add further insight,” he said on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
Ritter argued that the public nature of the assassination, Kirk’s final words and details of Robinson’s personal life may all point to the motive behind the killing.
“To me, there seems to be an absolute connection between the timing of the shooting itself and the fact that … this is a public assassination. He wanted him to be shot in front of people voicing his feelings,” he said.
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“It looks like he may have waited until the exact moment that the message coming from Kirk’s mouth was something he wanted to make a statement about,” he continued.