Charlie Kirk’s close friend reveals what he would be ‘proudest of’ while reflecting on legacy
A close friend and colleague of Charlie Kirk says the conservative leader and media star “was one of one” and doubts he’ll ever be replaced. But asked about a void in the conservative movement, Andy Surabian, who’s a top political adviser to both Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr., told Fox News Digital that Kirk “inspired a generation of young conservatives who have the potential to grow into being somebody like Charlie Kirk.” Kirk, who was shot and killed this past Wednesday during a college campus event in Utah, was a top conservative activist, culture warrior, and media rockstar for millions of MAGA and right-wing followers. A crucial ally to President Donald Trump, Vance, and Donald Trump Jr., Kirk transformed the Turning Point USA conservative youth organization that he co-founded at age 18 into an extremely influential political powerhouse and a voter turnout machine for Trump in last year’s presidential election. HOW CHARLIE KIRK HELPED FUEL DONALD TRUMP’S RETURN TO THE WHITE HOUSE “I don’t think there’s any singular person who will ever replace Charlie Kirk,” Surabian said. But pointing to Kirk’s inspiration to a generation of younger conservatives, Surabian said, “This is the thing that Charlie would be proudest of, it’s the thing that makes me so proud of Charlie.” UTAH’S GOVERNOR REVEALS POSSIBLE MOTIVE IN CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING Surabian said he and Kirk first met in 2018 and quickly became “generational peers.” “We would constantly gut check things with each other….both of us respected the political instincts of the other,” Surabian said. “There was an implicit trust.” In a social media post, Surabian wrote that he and Kirk “bonded quickly over our similar political views and closeness in age, and ultimately developed a close friendship. We always had each other’s back. If I needed help, I knew he would always be there for me. If he needed anything, I was always there for him. If there was a candidate for office he vouched for, that was all I needed. If there was a candidate for office I vouched for, that was all he needed.” Surabian said Kirk was the person who introduced him to Vance, ahead of Vance’s successful 2022 campaign for the Senate in Ohio. “I was skeptical, but since Charlie was vouching for him, I was on the phone with JD within the hour. 90 minutes later, after JD and I had hit it off and decided to work together, Charlie excitedly told me I wouldn’t regret it — and he was certainly right about that,” Surabian wrote. Speaking with Fox News, Surabian listed off Kirks’ numerous political attributes. “Charlie was a terrific fundraiser. He was beloved by donors. Charlie was extremely charismatic and was extremely impressive in debates. Charlie was very talented at doing media. He was a great talk show host. Charlie understood how to organize students. Charlie understood messaging and how to deliver a message in a way that even some of the top PR experts in the country couldn’t touch with a 10-point pole. Charlie understood how to organize in politics. Very rarely do figures come along who can put all those things together the way Charlie put it together,” Surabian highlighted. “Never mind the fact that, in addition to all that stuff, he was highly intelligent. And most important of all, he was a fundamentally decent person,” Surabian added. While Kirk had already accomplished much by age 31, Surabian predicted that his friend would have had many chapters to come. “Despite how influential he became, despite how famous he was, I do absolutely believe that he was still at the start of his rise and not at the end of it,” he said. And Surabian said that Kirk “was getting to a place where in a few years I think he had the potential to be the next Rush Limbaugh, and when I say that, anyone who understands the influence that Rush Limbaugh had on the conservative movement knows what a big statement that is.”
From Zapruder to smartphones: Assassination footage reshapes America’s view of political violence
When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, it took more than a decade before Americans saw the infamous Zapruder film. Today, the killing of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk can be replayed in dozens of high-definition clips across social media, reshaping how the nation confronts political violence in real time. “You’ll never have an assassination again that we don’t have footage of,” Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and former secretary of Health and Human Services under the Bush administration, told Fox News Digital. “I have an image in my head of what Lincoln’s assassination might have looked like, but every assassination since the Kennedy era, or even assassination attempts, there’s generally going to be footage about it now, and that’s just a very difficult thing.” CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION: TIMELINE OF UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING DETAILS ATTACK, MANHUNT FOR SUSPECT The Zapruder footage of Kennedy’s assassination remained largely unseen by the public until 1975, when it aired on national television more than a decade after his death. Its grainy frames shocked viewers. Americans, at the time, were “much more dependent on what the caretakers of the culture would put on TV,” Troy said, and if a broadcast was missed, there was often no second chance to see it. “The gatekeepers controlled what you saw.” In the minutes after Kirk was shot in the neck on his “American Comeback Tour” at the Utah Valley University on Wednesday, graphic video clips captured by bystanders using phones flooded social platforms like X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Traditional outlets held back from airing the moment of impact, but social media users shared multiple angles — including real-time replays and slowed-down segments — many without content warnings or editing. YOUTH LEADERS MOURN ‘THE GODFATHER OF CAMPUS CONSERVATISM’ CHARLIE KIRK FOLLOWING ASSASSINATION “Desensitizing is the right word. … It’s not good for you,” Troy said when asked what the impact of such high-speed graphic footage could do to the public. “It’s not good for your soul. It’s not a question of not being available. It is available. Then you have to make an effort not to see it,” he said. Troy noted that in the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s killing, some voices on the left appeared to rationalize or downplay the violence, while others rushed to frame the suspect’s background in ways that minimized political fallout for their side. He called the reaction “a ghoulish exercise.” PASTOR RECALLS LAST MOMENTS WITH CHARLIE KIRK: AN ‘AMERICAN MARTYR’ “There’s a horrible tragedy where this person who just wants to have political conversations was murdered with three young kids,” Troy said. “But this is where we are today. If there is political violence, they want to make sure it’s framed in such a way that it doesn’t bring their side down.” Kirk, 31, was killed Wednesday by suspected shooter Tyler Robinson while answering a question at Utah Valley University. He leaves behind his wife and two children, ages one and three.
Montana GOP Rep Ryan Zinke calls assassination of Charlie Kirk a ‘watershed moment’
Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., said the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a “watershed moment,” stressing that Americans should be able to have political disagreements without engaging in violence. Zinke made the comments on Friday during an appearance on NewsNation’s show “The Hill,” when he cited earlier remarks by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox as he expressed disappointment that differences in political viewpoints have led to violent attacks. “We should look and reflect,” Zinke said on Friday. “This is, you know, as the governor pointed out, a watershed moment. So, the watershed moment depends on what this country does.” “Are we going to continue this?” the congressman continued. “Are we going to continue to not be able to have dialogue and talk to your neighbor?” TURNING POINT USA ANNOUNCES MASSIVE PUBLIC MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR CHARLIE KIRK AT ARIZONA FOOTBALL STADIUM Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated by a gunman on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition before he was later pronounced dead. The alleged gunman was identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, whose family persuaded him to turn himself in after a multi-day manhunt. During a news conference on Friday, Cox called for civility and for people on both sides of the political aisle to de-escalate and to step away from political frustrations and “choose a different path.” “This is our moment: Do we escalate, or do we find an off-ramp? It’s a choice,” Cox said. VIGILS HELD ACROSS US AFTER ASSASSINATION OF CHARLIE KIRK: ‘WE MUST HEAL’ “For the last 48 hours, I have been as angry as I have ever been, as sad as I have ever been … and as anger pushed me to the brink, it was actually Charlie’s words that pushed me back. Charlie said, ‘When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence,’” Cox added. Zinke similarly urged people to engage in political dialogue without turning to violence. He also said statements he has seen on social media were “disheartening” after recent instances of political violence this year. “You see, you know, an assassination attempt,” Zinke said on Friday. “You see a political assassination in Minnesota. You see one with Charlie Kirk. You know a father. You know a great patriot, a loving husband. You know, assassinated. And ironically, his assassination was over his message, which was, ‘Let’s have a dialogue. Let’s talk.’” “In our country, the strength is that, you know, we may agree or disagree, but disagreement should never result in violence,” he continued. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Zinke referenced an incident in June for which Vance Boelter was charged with killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, her husband, Mark, and their dog at their home in Minneapolis. Boelter was also charged with shooting Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, and for attempting to shoot their daughter, Hope. Other acts of political violence in recent years include President Donald Trump surviving assassination attempts last year and Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., being attacked with a hammer in 2022. Zinke’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump claims FBI deployment reduced Memphis crime as city faces potential National Guard intervention
President Donald Trump on Saturday said the “only reason crime is somewhat down” in Memphis, Tennessee, is because he sent the FBI and other federal officers to address the “absolutely terrible crime numbers” over the past five months. In a Truth Social post, Trump added he has done the same in Chicago and Los Angeles. “But the real work by us has barely begun,” Trump wrote. “That happens after we make the official announcement that WE’RE COMING, and when we do that, as we did in now VERY SAFE WASHINGTON, D.C., the no crime “miracle” begins. ONLY I CAN SAVE THEM!!!” TRUMP EYES FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF BLUE CITY WITH HIGHEST VIOLENT CRIME RATE IN US: ‘DEEPLY TROUBLED’ The post comes after Trump on Friday said Memphis is the next city he is eyeing for a potential deployment of National Guard troops to address crime. Memphis, which borders the Mississippi River, had the highest violent crime rate and third-highest murder rate in the U.S. in 2024, according to data provided by the White House. So far this year, nearly 150 homicides have been reported in the city. MEMPHIS REP TORCHES ‘TRUMP SHOW 2.0’ WITH NATIONAL GUARD, SAYS DC ISN’T SAFER AFTER LAST CRACKDOWN Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in an X post he is “grateful for the president’s unwavering support and commitment to providing every resource necessary to serve Memphians.” “I look forward to working with local officials and law enforcement to continue delivering results,” Lee wrote. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., added Trump had “answered [her] call” to make Memphis safe again, noting she supports the deployment of National Guardsmen following his “tremendous success” in reducing violent crime in the nation’s capital. CHICAGO CRIME, NATIONAL GUARD PUSH MOVE TO FOREFRONT OF TRUMP’S WEEK While Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he supports focused federal initiatives, other local officials have been less than optimistic. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris previously told Fox News Digital on Friday the announcement was “disappointing, anti-democratic and violates American norms and possibly U.S. laws.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “In the short term, the president’s incursion will likely cause confusion and fear in many of our communities, particularly the most vulnerable ones,” Harris said. “In the long term, the mark of Tennessee communities being occupied by federal forces will hurt our state’s reputation for generations.” Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand, Charles Creitz and Peter Burke contributed to this report.
Erika Kirk’s first speech since husband’s assassination sparks massive TPUSA chapter surge nationwide
Turning Point USA leaders announced the organization received 18,000 new chapter requests after founder Charlie Kirk‘s wife, Erika, addressed the nation for the first time since her husband’s assassination. Republican Minnesota state Rep. Elliott Engen shared a screenshot Saturday of a conversation with a TPUSA leader, where they said they had received 18,000 requests to start chapters at colleges and high schools. Prior to Erika’s speech, TPUSA reported having 9,000 college chapters and 1,100 high school chapters. “This is the Turning Point” the TPUSA leader wrote in the text exchange. WHO IS ERIKA KIRK?: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE LATE CHARLIE KIRK’S WIDOW FROM THEIR LOVE STORY TO HIS LEGACY The new chapter requests come after Kirk was assassinated Wednesday while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. The alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident, was turned in by his father Friday and is facing aggravated murder charges. ERIKA KIRK BREAKS SILENCE AFTER HUSBAND CHARLIE’S ASSASSINATION WITH ADDRESS AT TURNING POINT USA HEADQUARTERS In a viral live stream from Kirk’s office Friday, Erika said her husband’s work and message — centered on faith, patriotism and moral conviction — will not die. She said his mission will become “stronger, bolder, louder and greater than ever,” encouraging young people to join or create Turning Point USA chapters if there is not one in their area. “He wants you to make a difference, and you can,” Erika said. “The movement is not going anywhere, and it will only grow stronger when you join it.” CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION: TIMELINE OF UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING DETAILS ATTACK, MANHUNT FOR SUSPECT In an Instagram post sharing photos of her husband lying in his casket, she added, “they have no idea what they just ignited within this wife.” “If they thought my husband’s mission was big now..you have no idea,” she wrote. “You. All of you. Will never. Ever. Forget my husband @charliekirk1776 I’ll make sure of it.” Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
‘Sleeping giant’ likely woke up for Turning Point USA after Charlie Kirk’s assassination
The assassination of Charlie Kirk has brought light to his organization, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), and what comes next for the group known for mobilizing young people in the conservative movement. During livestreamed remarks on Friday night, his widow, Erika Kirk, stressed individuals getting involved with TPUSA, adding that the annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix this December will continue as scheduled. “To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die,” Kirk said. “It won’t. I refuse to let that happen. No one will ever forget my husband’s name. And I will make sure of it. It will become stronger. Bolder. Louder and greater than ever. My husband’s mission will not end. Not even for a moment. UTAH STUDENTS LIFT VOICES IN PRAYER AT VIGIL FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S CHRISTIAN LEGACY: ‘FELT CALLED BY GOD’ “I’ll make Turning Point USA the biggest thing that this nation has ever seen,” she later added. “I love you, baby. Rest in the arms of our Lord.” The address led to some users on X suggesting that she will likely be Kirk’s heir to the group, which has over 2,000 student groups and over 800 faith-based groups, according to its website. “I think Erika Kirk should be Turning Point USA’s CEO,” former TPUSA staffer Anthony DeWitt posted. ANTI-TRUMP VOICES PRAISE CHARLIE KIRK’S LEGACY AFTER ASSASSINATION, SAY HE WAS DOING POLITICS ‘THE RIGHT WAY’ Following his assassination, the group is expected to see a surge in support. Judah Waxelbaum, a former campus activist at Arizona State University for Republican causes, said that the assassination likely awoke a “sleeping giant” with the current size of TPUSA. “Turning Point’s not going anywhere. Turning Point, I think, will probably actually get significantly larger in the wake of what happened to Charlie,” he told Fox News Digital in an interview on Saturday, noting that “you couldn’t do youth politics in Arizona, really anywhere in the United States without coming across Charlie Kirk.” CHARLIE KIRK PAINTED AS ‘CONTROVERSIAL,’ ‘PROVOCATIVE’ IN MEDIA’S ASSASSINATION COVERAGE “They do incredible work with mobilizing and getting voters out there and chasing the vote. And they’re going to be energized. They have to be, and it’s what Charlie would have wanted,” Waxelbaum said. “No one who admires Charlie Kirk is walking away from electioneering or what we’re doing in the youth space. And in a lot of ways, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve woken up a sleeping giant,” he added. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Kirk’s celebration of life ceremony is scheduled for next Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. He was assassinated at Utah Valley University during one of his famous “Prove Me Wrong” events, where he would take questions and debate students, on Wednesday. Vigils across the country have been underway for days, including on college campuses.
Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin lived with transgender partner who is now cooperating with FBI: Officials
EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin lived with his transgender partner, senior-level FBI officials told Fox News Digital. Bureau officials confirmed that Tyler Robinson, 22, was in a “romantic relationship” with the unnamed person, who is a male transitioning to a female, and that they shared an apartment in Saint George, Utah. Those FBI officials told Fox News Digital that Robinson’s partner is fully cooperating with the FBI’s investigation. TRUMP PRAISES FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL FOR SPEEDY CAPTURE OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN One FBI official told Fox News Digital the individual has been “extremely cooperative,” and said the person “had no idea” Robinson was allegedly planning to assassinate the Turning Point USA founder. The person is not currently accused of any criminal activity in connection with the assassination. FBI officials told Fox News Digital that the FBI had text messages and other communications between Robinson and his partner that helped FBI agents zero in on Robinson. Officials said the FBI took evidence from their apartment, including computers, which has been sent to Quantico for review, Fox News Digital has learned. WHO IS TYLER ROBINSON? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT CHARLIE KIRK’S SUSPECTED ASSASSIN The FBI declined to comment on whether Robinson’s partner would be charged with a crime. “The FBI is investigating a record number of tips,” an FBI spokesperson said. “Every connection, every group, every link will be investigated and anyone involved in this matter, anywhere in the world they might be, will be brought to justice.” The apartment Robinson and his partner shared is in the same southern Utah community Robinson’s parents live in. It is approximately four hours away from Utah Valley University, where Robinson allegedly shot Kirk. Kirk was killed Wednesday as he spoke to a crowd at the school’s campus in Orem. Authorities believe a single shot was fired from the roof of a building some 200 yards away. Kirk was 31, and the married father of two young children. Moments before Robinson allegedly shot Kirk, an audience member asked Kirk: “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Kirk replied: “Too many.” Kirk was then asked: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” Kirk replied: “Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk was then assassinated. A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that Robinson’s father, who ultimately turned him in to authorities, told the FBI that he recognized his son from surveillance video images which FBI Director Kash Patel directed to be made public as the 33-hour manhunt unfolded. The source told Fox News Digital that when Robinson arrived at his father’s home, he said he wanted to kill himself. The source told Fox News Digital that the father spoke with a minister the family knew before turning in his son. Meanwhile, the rifle that the FBI believes was used to kill Kirk contained ammunition inscribed with anti-fascist messaging. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed the messaging at a news conference Friday, saying investigators discovered inscriptions on casings found with a bolt-action rifle near the campus. One used casing and three unused casings contained the writings, Cox said. News of the ammunition inscriptions was first shared on social media Thursday morning in a preliminary bulletin attributed to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Utah leaders urge unity following Charlie Kirk’s assassination: ‘Turning Point for America’
In the days following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Utahns have united at memorials and candlelit vigils to honor the 31-year-old conservative influencer’s life and legacy. “It’s really important we support each other,” Republican Utah state Senate President Stuart Adams told Fox News Digital. “I’m very proud of our community for coming together to try to support one another as we work our way through this.” As local leaders urge the community to lean on their friends, family and neighbors, many have echoed Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox’s call to action against political violence. “History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country, but every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us,” Cox said during a press conference on Friday after announcing the suspect, Tyler Robinson, had been arrested. UTAH STUDENTS LIFT VOICES IN PRAYER AT VIGIL FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S CHRISTIAN LEGACY: ‘FELT CALLED BY GOD’ Adams said it’s vital that Americans put their phones down, as Kirk encouraged, to contribute something constructive to the community. EYEWITNESS DESCRIBES MOMENT CHARLIE KIRK WAS ASSASSINATED: ‘WE KNEW IMMEDIATELY’ “This is a turning point for America as we see what we want to become, what we want to do, what we want America to be, and surely we don’t want America to be filled with hate. We want to fill it with love, with the type of discourse and free speech that Charlie represented,” Adams said. Utah Attorney General Derek Brown told Fox News Digital that Utahns can honor Kirk’s life by modeling his commitment to open dialogue. “He engaged in a productive, respectful dialogue, and he showed a model for how to engage productively with people that you might disagree with,” Brown said, adding that “he was modeling the very behavior that he encouraged people to do” until the moment he died. As attorney general, Brown has collaborated with local and federal law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure Kirk’s assassin “pays the price for what he’s done.” “If that’s state law, if that’s federal law, if that is a combination of both, we’ll make sure justice is served in this case,” Brown said. While Brown carries out his job, he said it’s the community’s job to “learn how to cope with what’s happened, to learn how to heal.” “I have people close to me in my own family and on my own staff even, who were part of the experience. They were there, they saw it happen. I think it’s important for us to process the trauma and the experience and to understand what it is and, ideally, to use it to bring us together,” he said. Taylor Bentley, a Utah resident who said he was 15 to 20 yards from Kirk when he was assassinated, told Fox News Digital that he has loved the message of unity from community leaders, particularly the governor. And Brown agreed that Cox’s unifying message has “showcased the best that we have to offer as a state.” Bentley said Cox has “done a phenomenal job in pushing a message of unity, of faith, of hope and of embracing the message that Charlie pushed out there of open dialogue, and of avoiding violence, and of approaching our disagreements with words instead of violence.” The governor said Kirk’s “political assassination” is an “attack on the American experiment,” and he has urged not just Utah residents, but Americans, to live out Kirk’s legacy by engaging peacefully and condemning political violence. Since the assassination on Wednesday, Utah residents have organized several events honoring Kirk’s life. On Friday night, hundreds of Utah State University students gathered for a vigil hosted by the campus’ Turning Point USA chapter. In Orem City Park on Thursday evening, students and local residents paid their respects during a candlelit vigil. A memorial honoring Kirk at the Timpanogos Regional Hospital is filled with “We love you, Charlie” posters, flowers and American flags. More signs and flowers have been placed for Kirk on Utah Valley University’s campus. Flags are flying throughout the state at half-staff this week, and many also gathered for a vigil at the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday evening hours after Kirk’s assassination.
Trump praises FBI Director Kash Patel for speedy capture of Charlie Kirk assassin
EXCLUSIVE: President Trump on Saturday praised FBI Director Kash Patel for the remarkable speed in which the bureau identified and captured Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin. Tyler Robinson, 22, was nabbed in his hometown of Washington, Utah, just 33 hours after he allegedly shot Kirk from a rooftop on the campus of Utah Valley University. The capture came after a frantic manhunt that began with only grainy images of the suspect’s figure fleeing the scene. WHO IS TYLER ROBINSON? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT CHARLIE KIRK’S SUSPECTED ASSASSIN “I am very proud of the FBI,” Trump said, speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital. “Kash—and everyone else—they have done a great job.” Officials shared with Fox News Digital new details of the timeline of the investigation into the identification and arrest of Tyler Robinson and the unusual hands-on role Patel played in the process. According to the FBI, Robinson was seen on the campus on Sept. 10, the day Kirk was shot, presumably conducting reconnaissance between 8:28 and 9:34 a.m. At 11:52 a.m., Robinson returned, climbed an exterior stairway to the roof of the Losee building, and took up a position at the highest level of the roof at 12:22 p.m., according to officials. He allegedly shot Kirk just a minute later. Robinson then lowered himself from the roof and dropped to the ground, authorities said. Two minutes after he allegedly shot Kirk, Robinson ran into a nearby wooded area, where the gun was later found. Local FBI was on the scene immediately after the shooting, and Patel arrived at around 5:30 p.m. local time on Sept. 11. TIMELINE OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION Patel was walked through the entire crime scene, and stood where Kirk was murdered. Patel walked each step the suspect took, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Patel also went to the rooftop where Robinson had allegedly perched and retraced his steps as he fled, including into the wooded area where the gun, a Mauser 30.06 rifle, was found. Patel personally directed agents as they processed evidence and prepared to send it to Quantico, ATF labs, or local labs. Sources told Fox News Digital that Patel then directed the evidence to be loaded onto a plane with initial forensics and evidence collected and sent it back to the FBI labs for processing. A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that, typically, when evidence is collected in an investigation, an agent ships it to the labs. But the source said Patel directed that the evidence and fingerprints be sent back to Quantico via plane—traveling back and forth from Utah collecting and delivering evidence. “The DNA was being analyzed through the night because the director was there and he was directing all of this,” the source told Fox News Digital. “He directed everyone and said ‘You’re going to get the evidence out now.’” The source added: “The evidence was getting back to the labs in rapid-speed. That’s why he was caught so quickly.” Fox News Digital also learned that Patel, against all recommendations, demanded the video footage of the suspect be released to the public. A law enforcement source familiar told Fox News Digital that Robinson’s father, who ultimately turned him in to authorities, told the FBI that he recognized his son in that released video.
‘Speak English, period’: GOP bill axes interpreter loophole in citizenship exam
FIRST ON FOX: People who are not proficient in English could be shut out of taking the U.S. citizenship test under a new House Republican proposal. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., plans to introduce a bill that would mandate the citizenship test be taken entirely in English, Fox News Digital has learned. There are several different components to the U.S. citizenship exam. While most portions are English-only, the civics test — in which the applicant is asked 10 out of 100 possible questions on U.S. history and government — can currently be taken in other languages, provided that certain criteria are met. Fine’s bill would eliminate those exceptions. HOUSE MOVES TO EXPOSE EPSTEIN FILES, AUTHORIZES OVERSIGHT PROBE “The fact that U.S. citizenship applicants can currently use an interpreter to take the naturalization test undermines the idea of assimilation into American culture. If you want to live in an English-speaking country, you should be able to speak English, period,” Fine told Fox News Digital. “My bill will require all applicants to take the naturalization test exclusively in English, because both metaphorically and literally, everyone who enters our country with the intent of staying should speak our language.” Current law states that people aged 50 or older who have lived in the U.S. as a permanent resident for at least 20 years are allowed to take the civics portion in another language. People aged 55 or older who have been a U.S. permanent resident for at least 15 years have the same exemption. Both groups of people are required to bring an interpreter fluent in English and their native language to the exam. LONGTIME BIDEN AIDE SAYS HE STOOD TO EARN UP TO $8M HAD PRESIDENT WON RE-ELECTION The bill would likely run into opposition from immigrant advocacy groups, however. Fine’s proposal comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March naming English as the country’s official language — the first time in its history that the U.S. has done so.