FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday he believes Tyler Robinson, the accused killer of Charlie Kirk, may have been “aided and abetted” by an “extended network,” citing “multiple warning signs” Robinson allegedly displayed before the assassination.
As reported by The Post on Sunday, investigators are already examining whether pro-trans online groups, members of the sexualized animal-themed “furry” community, and other associates of Robinson had advance knowledge of his plans.
Those groups include communities on the gaming platform Steam and Armed Queers SLC, which removed its Instagram account following Kirk’s killing.
Bongino now says federal investigators are widening their scope, looking at whether others in the crowd — including the TikTok user who was questioning Kirk at the moment he was shot — might have had prior awareness of the attack.
Bongino told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” host Bill Hemmer that agents are “looking into” whether the tragic murder of Kirk — a 31-year-old conservative icon, married dad of two and the co-founder of Turning Point USA — was “part of a larger effort” that may have involved other people who were providing even financial help, or “someone who knew the specifics of it and failed to report that.”
“We’ll also be dropping a lot of paper, a lot of subpoenas out there, to take a look to see if there was any extended network,” Bongino added, per the New York Post.
Kirk was fatally shot in the neck by a single bullet during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. Suspect Tyler Robinson, whose live-in boyfriend is transgender, was arrested 33 hours later.
When asked if the timing of the gunfire — which occurred as Kirk was fielding a question about mass shootings involving transgender individuals — was significant, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said, “We’re investigating that.”
“I don’t want to say conclusively right now if there was a connection or not,” Bongino added. “It’s not terribly uncommon for [Kirk] to get questions like that. However, we are looking into that.”
Hemmer asked the FBI’s No. 2 official about a conversation between Robinson and a relative at a recent family gathering, where they expressed their shared dislike for Kirk.
“There appear to have been multiple warning signs” about Robinson losing control of his emotions, Bongino said. “You just laid out some of them. There were people in his network, friends and family, who had stated that he had become more political.”
Uncertainty remains over how and when Robinson became radicalized. Investigators discovered inscriptions on unspent shell casings from the firearm used in Kirk’s killing that pointed to pro-trans and anti-fascist affiliations.
A relative of Robinson’s roommate — who is cooperating with investigators and is not accused of wrongdoing — told authorities they believe Robinson’s political views may have been shaped by that relationship.
“I think Tyler got a whole lot worse in the year they have been dating. They are big gamers, and obviously they have that group that influences them as well as others. But my gut tells me [the roommate] did more of the influencing,” the relative told Fox News Digital.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday that Tyler Robinson had been “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” though he was not registered with any political party. Authorities have also said Robinson “didn’t like” Charlie Kirk or his “viewpoints.”
According to The Post, Robinson lives with a boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female. It remains unclear whether that relationship influenced Robinson’s political involvement.
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox on Monday that Robinson “had a text message exchange with another individual in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk — and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for.”