FBI Director Kash Patel is facing growing criticism over his handling of a high-profile murder investigation after posting and later retracting a premature announcement about a suspect in custody for the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The backlash against Patel has been swift and multifaceted, from online critics questioning Patel’s retraction to reported frustrations among White House officials over his messaging on the case. The scrutiny comes as federal and local agencies continued their search Thursday for the shooter who gunned down Kirk during a live campus event earlier this week.
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The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with @fbi.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 10, 2025
We will provide updates when able.
Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck on Wednesday during a student Q&A session at Utah Valley University and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Hours after the assassination, Patel posted to X that the “subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.” But roughly 90 minutes later, Patel announced that the person had been released.
Patel’s handling of the case initially drew frustration from officials inside President Donald Trump’s administration, though a source downplayed the sentiment in an interview with the Washington Examiner on Thursday.
I’ve heard from multiple people in the Trump admin that they’re not happy with how Kash Patel has handled today
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) September 11, 2025
The source familiar with internal deliberations told the Washington Examiner that “some administration officials could have been annoyed, but I don’t think they’re really frustrated.”
The overwhelming feeling inside the White House, according to the source, is sadness. “We are all emotionally triggered or impacted by this. It’s a little bit of a desperation of wanting to get people closure,” the person said.
Still, critics across the political spectrum expressed concerns about the FBI director’s handling of the situation.
One viral post from Georgia appellate attorney Andrew Fleischman said, “Kash Patel should be fired and replaced with someone who will work at his desk in a crisis, instead of TWICE IN ONE DAY falsely claiming he caught the shooter because he can’t go another minute without an attaboy.”
Kash Patel should be fired and replaced with someone who will work at his desk in a crisis, instead of TWICE IN ONE DAY falsely claiming he caught the shooter because he can't go another minute without an attaboy. https://t.co/Y5n4I8VNb1
— Andrew Fleischman (@ASFleischman) September 11, 2025
Local officials initially contradicted Patel’s statement
The timing of Patel’s post also amplified initial criticism. It went live just minutes before Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), the Utah Department of Public Safety, and local FBI officials were scheduled to provide the first on-camera update.
At a scheduled press briefing on Wednesday, shortly after Kirk’s death was announced, Utah DPS Commissioner Beau Mason contradicted what Patel had posted on X about apprehending a subject in the case. “Our agency and the FBI will be working together to find this killer,” Mason said, clearly indicating that the investigation was still active and unresolved.
Cox followed Mason at the podium, saying that authorities had “a person of interest in custody,” but emphasizing that the shooter had not been identified or apprehended. When asked about Patel’s post, Cox repeated that “authorities are questioning someone in custody,” but stressed that no definitive arrest had been made. Soon after, the person of interest was released.
The first suspect arrested just after the shooting on Wednesday was George Zinn, who was later released and charged with obstruction by the UVU Police Department. A second suspect, Zachariah Qureshi, was taken into custody later in the day but was released after interrogation.
The public has waited breathlessly for the FBI to reveal any new information about the suspect. At around noon on Thursday, the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office released its first images of the suspect, who is still at large. The FBI is now offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the culprit.
We are asking for the public's help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
— FBI Salt Lake City (@FBISaltLakeCity) September 11, 2025
1-800-CALL-FBI
Digital media tips: https://t.co/K7maX81TjJ pic.twitter.com/ALuVkTXuDc
Online anger from MAGA base and Proud Boys
A prominent pro-Trump account known as “R***** Finder,” with over 795,000 followers, responded harshly to Patel’s retraction: “During something like this I imagine it’s normal to do precautionary arrests on several suspects. How about you don’t f***ing announce it until you’re f***ing sure.” The post received over 19,000 likes.
Surprising criticism came from Joe Biggs, a former Proud Boys leader who was serving a 17-year federal sentence for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Biggs, whose sentence was commuted by Trump in January, called Patel’s actions “unbecoming of the office.”
“Why is the head of the @FBI speculating like everyone not in the know?” Biggs wrote, “@FBIDirectorKash you’re the person we are supposed to get the final truth from. Stop all this clickbait s*** you keep doing.… It only proves you were a horrible pick for this position.”
Scrutiny comes after recent FBI firings
The public relations debacle comes at a sensitive time for Patel, who is already under fire for his broader leadership of the FBI. Just hours before the Kirk shooting, three recently dismissed FBI agents filed a federal lawsuit accusing Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino of firing them for political reasons.
The plaintiffs — Brian Driscoll, Steve Jensen, and Spencer Evans — alleged they were removed in a “campaign of retribution” for not showing sufficient loyalty to Trump. One agent warned that Bongino’s fixation on social media content risked overshadowing investigative analysis. The lawsuit depicted Patel as a “partisan neophyte” more interested in online branding and “swag” than agency operations.
Piling on top of Patel’s perception problems, last month, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City field office, Mehtab Syed, was quietly replaced, according to MSNBC. Former colleagues said Syed was a “legendary case agent” with decades of high-level national security experience.
Some defend Patel’s transparency instinct
Despite the growing backlash, a few voices came to Patel’s defense — or at least sought to explain his misstep as well-intentioned. Former FBI agent Chris Quick, who helped investigate Dylann Roof in the Charleston church massacre, told the Washington Examiner that Patel may have simply been trying to keep the public informed amid a chaotic investigation.
“This is the biggest nationalized case he’s handled,” Quick said, noting that the instincts to remain transparent may have clouded Patel’s judgment.
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Still, a source within the administration emphasized that the director’s wording could have been better.
“If I was advising him, I would say it’s better to exercise caution,” the source said.