Raddatz Tries To Shift Blame For Charlie Kirk Assassination

On ABC’s This Week, Host Martha Raddatz had one key question she asked every guest who was there to talk about the Charlie Kirk assassination. Who is to blame? She guided her guests with a leading question about where they should go with their answer.

“President Trump said nothing about the political violence against Democrats. In fact, he blamed the radical left,” Raddatz said “Is that something you think he should be doing?”

Ignoring the fact that the accused assassin appears to be a radicalized leftist, she tried to get her guests to agree that both the left and the right are to blame for political violence.

Below, the interview answers have been removed so you can easily see how persistent Raddatz is over this one question, asked in several ways, over several interviews. Here are just the questions.

Introduction

Martha Raddatz: The young conservative activist gunned down as the nation confronts an escalating crisis of political violence.

The 22-year-old suspect in custody. President Trump quick to place blame.

This morning, Matt Gutman in Utah with the latest on the investigation. We’ll speak with Utah Gov, Spencer Cox after his powerful call for the country to choose a different path. And Utah Sen. John Curtis and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis join us.

Plus.

I sit down with conservative college students reflecting on Charlie Kirk’s legacy and how they move forward.

And, high stakes brinksmanship.

Russian drones violate Poland’s airspace. NATO steps up its defenses. But the president plays it down.

I’ll speak with Texas Congressman Michael McCaul about the growing tensions and the fallout from Israel’s audacious strikes against Hamas inside Qatar.

Good morning. Welcome to “THIS WEEK.”

It was a truly horrific week for this country, with 31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk shot and killed by a gunman’s bullet in front of 3,000 people on a Utah college campus as Kirk engaged in the political debate and discussion that was his trademark.

We have new information this morning according to a report about what the suspected shooter was allegedly saying and doing in the hours after Kirk’s death.

Kirk’s killing is just the latest in a wave of political violence, from the assassination attempts on Donald Trump, to this summer’s targeted killings of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband.

In powerful remarks Friday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called Kirk’s assassination a watershed moment, a moment where the nation can either go deeper down the path of polarization or choose to take an off-ramp to a different course for this country.

This morning, we’ll talk about this perilous moment and what comes next for the nation.

But we begin with ABC’s Matt Gutman in Utah for the latest on the investigation and what we know about the 22-year-old man accused of Charlie Kirk’s murder.

(Video plays report on accused assassin Tyler Robinson)

Matt Gutman, Chief National Correspondent

This morning, “The New York Times” is reporting that in the hours after Charlie Kirk’s murder, his alleged gunman, Tyler Robinson, was messaged in a group chat by an acquaintance jokingly questioning where he was. Suggesting he resembled the man police were looking for.

According to “The Times,” Robinson responded that his “doppelganger” was trying to “get me in trouble,” while making other jokes about the manhunt. Including saying he was “actually Charlie Kirk.”

ABC News has not independently verified those messages.

Authorities announcing the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson on Friday.

But until his capture, the suspect had been an unknown man in grainy surveillance images. Images, authorities say, were recognized by the suspect’s own father.

Authorities tell ABC News hundreds of investigators stitched the alleged gunman’s path from the moment he drove on to campus at 8:29 a.m. on Wednesday. TMZ obtaining this video appearing to match the description of the shooter who police say appears to walk with a stiff right leg, and that his ability to bend his right leg appears to be restricted.

Law enforcement sources tell us investigators believe Robinson was hiding his long gun under his clothing. And at some point, authorities say, he changed into the outfit seen in photos released during the manhunt and climbed up a campus stairwell to a roof at about 11:50 a.m. And then he’s seen dressed in a black cap, sunglasses and a black shirt emblazoned with an American flag and an eagle.

And as Charlie Kirk fired up the crowd tossing hats, authorities say the suspect crouched and waited.

At 12:22 p.m., they say Robinson sprang, no longer limping, into position on the roof, then laid down in a sniper position about 175 yards from the stage. One minute later, Charlie Kirk was answering a question about gun violence, police say the suspect fired.

As the crowd ducked in panic, cameras capturing this image of that shadowy figure on the roof. Police say this video then shows Robinson scampering across, dropping down to the ground, and jogging off.

And authorities say that that suspect crossed the street from campus, just over there, walked up this drive into this wooded area. And somewhere around here, he stashed that rifle, wrapped in a dark towel. Those cartridges still inside.

As the investigation unfolds, a portrait of Robinson beginning to emerge. Social media shows members of his family included hunters, people very familiar and comfortable with firearms. Robinson had no military experience, but sources tell ABC News, they believe he was proficient with firearms.

(Gutman to Beau Mason, Utah Department Of Public Safety Commissioner)

One hundred and seventy-five yards. And would you have to be a pretty proficient marksman to be able to make it given those conditions?

(Gutman to  Martha Raddatz)

And, Martha, on Friday before that “New York Times” report, Discord, the app where these messages were reportedly said, put out a statement saying that they had identified a Discord account associated with the suspect but have found no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord.

As for Tyler Robinson, he is now an inmate at the Utah County Jail. The D.A. says they plan to bring formal murder charges against him on Tuesday. He could also face federal murder charges. And Gov. Spencer Cox has also said that they will try to seek the death penalty in this case.

Martha.

Marth Raddatz Interviews Utah Gov. Spencer Cox

I’m joined now by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who has received widespread praise for his response to the shooting this week.

Governor, it has been a horrific week. We thank you for your time.

I know you heard that report by Matt Gutman and this latest reporting in The New York Times that some of the suspect’s acquaintances were allegedly talking to him online and joking and thought they recognized him from those early photos. Can you tell us anything about that this morning or anything further on the investigation?

And — and anything new on the investigation? You say he admitted that. Confessed?

And — and, governor, you told The Wall Street Journal that Tyler Robinson was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology. Have investigators uncovered evidence to — to show that?

And — and, governor, let’s go back to Friday and your very powerful words and advice. You said “this was a watershed moment that could be a turning point in history, depending on the collective actions.” What needs to happen for this to be a good turning point?

And, governor, again, powerful words. But you got a phone call from President Trump right after you spoke on Friday. What did he say?

Did he warn you that this type of violence could affect you?

And, governor, just lastly, you immediately talked about Democrats who had already been targeted. President Trump said nothing about the political violence against Democrats. In fact, he blamed the radical left.

What’s your reaction to that? Is that something you think he should be doing?

Martha Raddatz Interviews Colorado Gov. Jared Polis

And I’m joined now by Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado, who has partnered with Gov. Cox on the “Disagree Better” campaign to promote less partisan dialogue.

Thanks for joining us this morning, Gov. Polis.

Your state suffered its own tragedy this week almost simultaneously. You had a — had a school shooting. And investigators believe it was motivated by some extremism.

How did we get here? You have been trying so hard with this Disagree Better Campaign. How did we get to these moments?

You heard Gov. Cox, he did not — clearly did not want to criticize President Trump at this time and — and Charlie Cook — Charlie Kirk was a good friend of President Trump and his family. But he has pointed the finger at what he calls the radical left. Is that the message you believe he should be putting out?

Gov. Cox also talked about the cancer — he called it the cancer of social media. How do you get that back? It’s like trying to stop a moving train. So much of society depends on social media. Young people flock to social media. It — it is a great idea to say this is — this is a cause for concern. But how do you really rein that in?

And — and when you look at the suspect and his family and his upbringing, and I know Spencer Cox has said he comes from a normal family, didn’t have any childhood trauma, what turns someone into a killer? And I’m — obviously, he is still a suspect. But when you look at that, and it’s up to the perpetrator, what happens to people?

OK, thanks so much for joining us this morning, governor. We appreciate it.

Coming up, I sit down with three conservative college students to discuss Charlie Kirk’s legacy and where his political movement goes from here.

Martha Raddatz Student Roundtable

Charlie Kirk’s influence with young conservatives was far-reaching, galvanizing supporters in person and online like few others. But he had plenty of critics who viewed him as using hateful and inflammatory language.

In the wake of Kirk’s death, I sat down with three politically active conservative college students to understand more about Kirk’s impact and his complicated legacy.

Kieran Laffey, Katie Caldwell, and Philip Vayntrub are college students who Charlie Kirk inspired. And they are devastated by his loss.

We sat down with the group just days after Kirk’s murder.

And Katie, how about you? What drew you to Charlie Kirk?

Let’s talk a little bit about that here. I don’t know if any of you heard Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah. But he was pleading with your generation. Let me read it.

“Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now. This is our moment. Do we escalate or do we find an off ramp?”

In that sense, Kieran, do you feel a responsibility to help bring both sides, all sides together?

Can you get past the experiences they’ve had that you may have had as well with people saying, I don’t care or celebrating it? Can you get past that group and say, not everybody is like that?

Kieran, I want to go back to you to talk about what it was about Charlie Kirk.

Obviously, he also had an enormous amount of charisma. He was a — he was a fantastic speaker in groups and could engage groups.

So, who takes his place? Where does this go now?

You say fight for what’s right. What’s right?

Do you think Charlie Kirk was bringing people together beyond those who felt the same as he did?

Do — you obviously saw who was arrested. You’ve heard the president say — he blames radical left and basically blaming the Democrats. We’ve had a lot of political violence in this — in this country. Assassination attempts on President Trump, the killing of a Minnesota state lawmaker.

Who do you blame?

Katie, just think about what as a 20-year-old in America, conservative, what this means to you, and what you want to do to make the country better?

Our thanks to Kieran, Katie, and Phillip.

Martha Raddatz Interviews Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah

I’m joined now by GOP Senator John Curtis of Utah, who lives just miles away from the Utah Valley University campus.

Good morning, senator. Thanks for joining us.

I know these are very difficult times for all of us, and especially your state.

You heard those college students and their pain. Who do you think replaces Charlie Kirk? Where do those college students put their energy?

What — what does the anger, where does the anger come out in this? Where do they channel that anger? Are you worried about that going forward?

These — these kids were very reasonable and introspective, but you know how much anger is out there. What does that do to that movement?

You know, you made a call out on X for people to contact you directly, to talk about how they are processing that murder, and you said that would impact how — how we move forward and talk about these issues. What have you heard so far?

I know a lot of people, certainly, and a lot of Republicans, a lot of people are listening to President Trump, and you’ve heard me talk about it earlier in the show. But several Republican lawmakers, prominent conservatives, including President Trump’s sons, Don Jr. and Eric, as well as President Trump, have blamed this on the radical left. Is that the right thing to do, or what do you wish he was saying?

Senator, how do you think we got to this point in this country with so much political violence?

OK. Thank you so much for joining us this morning, Senator. We appreciate it.Coming up, the Powerhouse Roundtable on the political blame game after Charlie Kirk’s assassination and whether we can break this cycle. We’re back in a moment.

This Week Roundtable

(Video Clip)

Charlie Kirk speaking at the 2016 Republican National Convention at the age of 22. He was given his speaking spot by former RNC Chair Reince Priebus, who joins our roundtable when we come back.

Let’s bring in the roundtable now.

Former RNC chair and Trump White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus; former DNC chair, Donna Brazile; and executive editor of “Politico,” Alex Burns.

Good morning to you all.

And, Reince, I do want to start with you. We saw that video of Charlie Kirk. You had him take that spot. What did you see in him then?

You heard those –

And, Donna, I just — I want your reaction. Charlie Kirk had a huge, huge, huge following. Also very provocative.

Alex, you’ve — I’m sure — been in touch with a lot of people, the reporter on our panel here today.

What are you seeing? There is obviously a lot of grieving going on and that will continue, but does the real anger and division come back, the same as it always does?

And Donna, talk about that. I mean, we’ve heard that and — and you heard me ask — ask the senator, how do you stop a moving train?

Yes, there are so much terrible stuff online. But how do you beat that?

Alex, I just want to go back to you and the point you were making before. I mean, people are fearful, too. I mean, are they fearful to go out and speak? Are they fearful to be in their offices on Capitol Hill? Just how this changes so many things.

OK. Thanks to all of you. Coming up, President Trump says Russia’s drone incursion into Poland could have been a mistake. We’ll ask GOP Congressman Michael McCaul if he agrees, when we come back.

Raddatz Interviews Rep. Michael McCaul, R-TX

There were major developments this week in the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. So, I’m joined now by Congressman Michael McCaul of Texas, the former chair of the Homeland Security and Foreign Relations Committee.

It’s good to see you this morning.

Congressman, President Trump said on Thursday that those 19 Russian drones that entered Polish air space were — could be a mistake by Russia. Do you think it was a mistake?

But Poland obviously did not think that was a mistake. And NATO is moving air defenses, including air patrols, from the Baltics to the Mediterranean. Do you think that’s a good move or could that possibly escalate things?

Talk about that more because they are going to escalate this. They’re going to put in more air defenses. So, Putin — that’s what Putin was worried about originally. He said the root causes of this, he kept saying. So what do you expect to happen from Russia?

But you’ve heard President Trump this week, and again and again, multiple threats about these sanctions. Starting back August 21st and 22nd, he says, they’ll know what happens in two weeks. Trump says on August 18th, it would be known in a week or two whether the war would continue and we’ll do something. August 15th, it goes on and on and on, and these deadlines simply pass and Putin puts more pressure and bigger attacks in Ukraine.

And stop buying Russian oil.

You think that’s going to happen?

Thom Tillis said he believes Russia is playing the U.S. Do you think President Trump was played, especially at that Alaska summit?

And just quickly on Qatar, the Israelis did a strike in Qatar, our ally. What do you think the effects of that are?

I want to close with this — 9/11 anniversary this week overshadowed certainly by the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Your career has been based on what happened on 9/11.

Well, that’s a good plan. They’ll miss you on the Hill. You got a ways to go. Thanks for joining us this morning.

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Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.

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