Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin may be in custody, but details of the case have reportedly caused internal tensions at the FBI to boil over.
According to three sources who spoke with The New York Times, FBI Director Kash Patel took time during the search for Kirk’s killer to chastise agents for their handling of critical information about the search, including a photo of the suspect.
The 33-hour manhunt concluded with the arrest of suspect Tyler Robinson, 22, after a family friend tipped off the Washington County Sheriff’s office.
On Thursday morning, hours before Robinson’s arrest, Patel reportedly held a virtual meeting with 200 FBI agents, during which he accused agents in Salt Lake City of waiting nearly 12 hours to show him a photo of the suspect.
According to the Times’ sources, Patel then told the agents he would “not tolerate any more Mickey Mouse operations” during a profanity-laced debrief.
Patel himself has already come under public scrutiny for his handling of the manhunt, particularly after he prematurely celebrated the capture of a suspect who was swiftly cleared.
On Wednesday, just minutes before Utah Governor Spencer Cox held his first press briefing with FBI agents and local law enforcement, Patel tweeted his congratulations to investigators for capturing “the subject for the horrific shooting today.”
The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency https://t.co/YXsG6YpFR5
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 10, 2025
The tweet seemed to contradict statements made at Cox’s press briefing just minutes later, when law enforcement officials described the suspect as a “person of interest” but insisted the investigation was ongoing.
Patel was forced to walk back his celebratory tweet just two hours later, when he announced the individual had been released from questioning.
At a Thursday press conference that Patel attended in person, Utah Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety Beau Mason admitted that investigators had “no idea” where the suspect was.
Patel said the 22-year-old suspect, Tyler Robinson, was arrested at 10 p.m. Thursday, however an announcement was delayed until President Donald Trump could appear on Fox & Friends Friday morning to reveal that authorities believed they had the person responsible for killing Kirk.
Current and former White House and law enforcement officials were quick to criticize Patel for his Wednesday tweet. A White House source called the move “unprofessional” and “not acceptable” in an interview with Reuters.
Retired FBI agent Dan Brunner said FBI directors traditionally refrain from announcing investigation details so early because “initial intelligence is typically wrong or slightly off,” warning, “The FBI does not run investigations on social media.”
Key MAGA voices also decried Patel’s handling of the search, with Fox News host Laura Ingraham tweeting on Thursday, “Suspect is still on the loose. Unreal. Get him.”
However, Patel’s tensions with FBI agents have been brewing since long before the investigation. In May, senior officials told NBC that Patel’s frequent traveling and general appearance of disinterest during meetings had made them concerned he wasn’t taking the director role seriously enough.
The director gained even more ire from agents thanks to a firing spree, exacerbated when he announced he would lower the standards for hiring new agents. In July, senior officials told The New York Times Patel was subjecting agents to polygraph tests to determine whether they’d said anything negative about him.
The day of Kirk’s shooting, three fired FBI officials even filed suit against Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging the White House exerted outsized influence over the agency’s operations and accusing Patel of firing or pushing out agents for disagreeing with Trump’s agenda.
The post Keystone Kash Slammed FBI Agents for Making Him Look Bad appeared first on The Daily Beast.
