MAGA or leftist, don’t jump to conclusions on Charlie Kirk’s killer 

Just days after the shocking murder of conservative media personality Charlie Kirk, we’re learning new details about his alleged killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah. 

While there is still some contradictory information concerning his motivations — and thus every reason to be cautious and to wait for further confirmation — authorities are claiming that Robinson was motivated by left-leaning grievances. Specifically, he disliked Kirk for spreading hate. Additionally, Robinson’s roommate, who is cooperating with authorities, was his boyfriend. That roommate is a transgender individual, and is in the process of transitioning from male to female. 

This information was confirmed by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who has distinguished himself for his calm, collected and cool-headed approach to dealing with this horrific tragedy.  

Again, I want to emphasize cautiousness, because we definitely don’t have all the facts yet. Let me say that is plainly as possible: jumping to conclusions helps no one. Just because something is alleged by a friend or family member or a neighbor of the perpetrator — or even by the police — doesn’t mean it’s necessarily true.  

For instance, The Guardian reported on Friday that a high school friend of Robinson’s had confirmed his leftwing views; unfortunately the Guardian had to retract the quotes from that story after the friend contradicted himself.  

The easiest way not to end up looking like a fool is to take a deep breath and wait for more information. 

But all that throat clearing aside, a picture of the shooter is emerging. The transgender roommate-slash-partner, the weird and edgy online memes inscribed on the shell casings, the contention that Kirk was spreading hate, the postings of both Robinson and his roommate on social media — well, these facts are all beginning to suggest a very online, leftist ideology. 

Now while this does not mean that people who self-identify as on the left are responsible, it does mean that attempts by progressives to paint the shooter as maybe perhaps a MAGA person, who was even more to the right than Kirk, look like they are not panning out. 

One such progressive was Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe, who wrote on X: “Kirk’s assassin appears to have been ultra MAGA.” 

And Wajahat Ali, a leftwing writer and columnist, wrote, “Tyler Robinson, Kirk's alleged shooter, is a white man from a Trump supporting conservative family that loved guns. He used all the language and references that Groypers use. MAGA will spin and turn and pivot and lie and distract. Their base will believe it. But they aren't the majority.” 

He doubled down in an interview. Take a look.  

In case you don’t know, the Groypers are an online far-right subculture that dislike Charlie Kirk and other more mainstream conservatives for being insufficiently anti-Semitic. If Robinson was a Groyper, this would change the media narrative of course, although as I have pointed out, it’s theoretically possible that he could have been both far-right and far-left at different times, or even at the same time. People don’t have to have neatly sorted out political views, and extremists with mental problems are even less consistent. 

However, there just isn’t really much evidence at this point that he’s a Groyper, and the insistence coming from progressives that yeah, he was probably MAGA, looks like wishful thinking from people who don’t want their own political tribe to bear responsibility for what happened. 

Let’s take our time, figure out what happened, and punish the person or persons who are to blame. 

Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.