ABC reporter apologizes for calling Charlie Kirk alleged assassin’s texts 'touching'

ABC reporter Matt Gutman apologized Wednesday for comments he made on air while reporting on text messages sent between conservative activist Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin and his roommate just after the killing.

"Yesterday I tried to underscore the jarring contrast between this cold blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk — a man who dedicated his life to public dialogue — and the personal, disturbing texts read aloud by the Utah County Attorney at the press conference," Gutman wrote in a post on the social platform X.

During his report on Tuesday, Gutman called the messages, which were revealed in charging documents against suspected gunman Tyler Robinson, "very touching in a way we did not expect," adding that the exchange provided an "intimate" window into the moments after last week's killing.

A clip of Gutman's segment was widely circulated on social media and criticized by prominent right-wing accounts, Republican strategists and conservative influencers.

"I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear," Gutman wrote as part of his apology. "But let there be zero doubt here: I unequivocally condemn this horrific crime and the pain it caused Charlie Kirk's family, those who were forced to witness it at UVU, and the millions of people he inspired."

Many on the right, including President Trump, have sought to blame the media and left-leaning groups for Kirk's killing last week, arguing news coverage of conservatives and Trump supporters is enflaming liberals and driving some to violence.

Trump and his allies have raised issue with ABC News for months, with the president threatening earlier this year to use the power of his Federal Communications Commission to revoke the network's broadcast license.