Joe Kent, the man who until recently served as director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, has made a series of strong claims about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Turning Point USA founder and political activist Kirk was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, when he was shot through the neck.
The 31‑year‑old’s death sent shockwaves across America, and a large‑scale manhunt quickly began to track down his killer. Kirk was shot from a rooftop roughly 410 feet away, and in the confusion that followed, the shooter managed to escape.
Twenty‑two‑year‑old Tyler Robinson turned himself in 36 hours later, bringing a remarkably swift end to a case that had captured national attention.
Now, Joe Kent — Donald Trump’s former counterterrorism chief — is making new claims about Kirk’s assassination following his decision to resign as director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
One day after announcing his resignation on X, Kent appeared on The Tucker Carlson Show. Among the topics discussed were the Iran war and Kirk’s death. As noted, Robinson was arrested and charged with the murder, but Kent has cast doubt on the official conclusion.
“But the investigation that I was a part of — the National Terrorism Center was a part of — we were stopped from continuing to investigate,” he said.
“Charlie Kirk was killed publicly in a very horrific way, and we’re not really even allowed to look into that at all.”
Kent continued: “We’ve been told that this individual — Robinson — is a lone gunman, and maybe he is. But there was still a lot for us to look into that I can’t really get into.” He also claimed the FBI handed control of the investigation to Utah authorities, saying there were still “unanswered questions” and “linkage” that should have been examined.
The FBI declined to comment on Kent’s allegations, while a law‑enforcement source accused him of making claims without evidence.
According to the Daily Mail, the source said: “During the early stages of the Charlie Kirk investigation, he would walk into meetings, without any information or evidence, and speculate that Iran had killed Charlie, as a senior NCTC official. And when asked for evidence, he had none.”
Kent also shared Kirk’s final words to him, spoken a few months before his death.
“The last time I saw Charlie Kirk on this earth was in June in the West Wing in the stairway,” the 45‑year‑old said.
“And I said hi to him, and he looked me in the eye and said very loudly… ‘Joe, stop us from getting into a war with Iran.’”
