Kirk's Alleged Assassin Revealed & Donors Drive Justice? | 9.15.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Kirk's Alleged Assassin Revealed & Donors Drive Justice?
Date: September 15, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Featured Guests: Cabot Phillips, Megan Basham, Luke Rosiak

Episode Overview

This episode of Morning Wire investigates two major topics:

1. The latest developments in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, including details about the suspect, public reaction, and the response from companies and institutions.
2. An exposé on how billionaire-backed activist groups are influencing “soft on crime” policies in U.S. prosecutors’ offices, potentially undermining democratic accountability.

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1. The Charlie Kirk Assassination Case

Breaking Developments and Suspect Background

• [00:04] John Bickley opens by noting new details in the case and a national mourning for Kirk.
• [01:14] Cabot Phillips summarizes:
  • The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was identified after his family saw FBI images.
  • Family confronted him; Robinson confessed privately but was reluctant to surrender.
  • His father involved a youth pastor ex-law enforcement officer, who worked with authorities to facilitate a peaceful surrender.
  • Charges: aggravated murder, felony firearm discharge, obstruction of justice.
  • Governor intends to seek the death penalty, aligning with Trump’s emphatic stance.
  • Quote:

    “He reportedly confessed to the shooting, but said he would rather take his own life than turn himself in.” – Cabot Phillips, [01:25]

Motive and Media Coverage

• Robinson’s anti-Kirk motive is increasingly evident:
  • Shell casings inscribed “hey fascist catch.”
  • Known to have despised Kirk for his conservative views.
  • Governor Cox:

    “It’s very clear… this was a person deeply indoctrinated with Leftist ideology.” – via Cabot Phillips, [02:09]

  • Robinson was in a romantic relationship with a transgender-identifying roommate, whose role is under investigation.
  • Evidence from Discord—Robinson joked about bounties and referenced a manifesto after the shooting.

    “If they did that he wanted a cut of the money and that, quote, he better also get rid of his manifesto…” – Cabot Phillips, [03:41]

National Response & Tributes

• [04:03] Charlie’s widow, Erica Kirk, addresses the nation:

  “The movement my husband built will not die… If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea what you just have unleashed across this country.” – Erica Kirk, [04:28]

• Huge surge in support:

  • Turning Point USA plans a memorial at State Farm Stadium.
  • Online fundraising for Kirk’s family breaks records.
  • Massive uptick in social media followers and requests to start new Turning Point chapters.
  • Quote:

    “Turning Point officials say they’ve received 32,000 requests to start new groups at colleges and high schools.” – Cabot Phillips, [05:21]

Backlash against Celebrations of Kirk’s Death

• [05:38] Co-hosts and culture reporter Megan Basham discuss public celebrations of the assassination, particularly among left-wing figures and groups.
  • Notable incident: Punk rap duo Bob Vylan mocked Kirk’s death during a concert.

    “The pronouns was were—Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.” – Bob Vylan, [06:25]

  • Nationwide, multiple employees, professors, and public servants fired or suspended for celebrating, not just expressing opinions but “explicitly cheering… and potentially encouraging more such violence.” – Megan Basham, [06:40]
  • Specific disciplinary actions:
    • East Tennessee State University (2 faculty on leave)
    • Middle Tennessee dean of students (fired)
    • Firefighter in New Orleans on leave
    • American Airlines, Delta pilots/staff (terminated)
    • MSNBC’s Matthew Dowd fired
    • Secret Service agent on administrative leave

Tributes from Across Society

• Outpouring from sports, music, and unexpected sources:
  • NFL, NASCAR, country stars Jason Aldean, Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan, and rock band Coldplay all pay tribute.

    “Me and my family are sending prayers her way.” – Morgan Wallen, addressing Erica Kirk, [09:05] “Coldplay encouraged a crowd of 90,000 in London to show some love for Charlie Kirk and his family.” – Megan Basham, [09:14]

  • Numerous memorials, prayer vigils, and online support.
  • “The public is reacting with shock and disgust, as they should.” – Megan Basham, [07:51]

---

2. Donor-Driven Justice: The “Soft on Crime” Movement

Revelations from North Carolina Tragedy

• [10:47] A Ukrainian refugee’s murder in NC sparks debate on “soft on crime” policies.

The Role of Activist Groups and Billionaires

• [11:10] Luke Rosiak exposes the influence network:
  • Billionaires (notably George Soros) have funneled $100M+ into electing “progressive prosecutors.”
  • A little-known group—Wren Collective, started by Jessica Brand—advises newly elected prosecutors, writing policies, op-eds, and even intervening in cases free of official billing or oversight.
  • These groups promote eliminating cash bail, decriminalizing misdemeanors, etc.

    “A new prosecutor’s campaign donor would connect him with Wren Collective which would offer to write policies… ‘These policies will be yours.’” – Luke Rosiak, [12:20]

Transparency & Conflict of Interest Concerns

• The nonprofit structure hides funding.
  • “The Wren Collective is structured to hide its finances by operating as a subsidiary of… a nonprofit that once existed to push Soviet propaganda in the US.” – Luke Rosiak, [13:52]
  • Donors: including wives of Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, oil heiress Stacy Schusterman, ex-Enron executive John Arnold.
• Sometimes, after gaining influence, Wren bills taxpayers directly—Minneapolis prosecutor case had a $150,000 contract with Wren's for-profit LLC counterpart.
  • John Bickley comments:

    “You could argue this is literally buying government.” – John Bickley, [12:49] “Behind prosecutors like Alvin Bragg, Cheza Boudin, Marilyn Mosby, Rachel Rawlins, and George Gascon was the Wren Collective, writing their core policies…” – Luke Rosiak, [12:53]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He reportedly confessed to the shooting, but said he would rather take his own life than turn himself in.” – Cabot Phillips, [01:25]
• “It’s very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with Leftist ideology.” – via Cabot Phillips/Utah Governor Spencer Cox, [02:09]
• Erica Kirk: “If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea what you just have unleashed...” [04:28]
• “People don’t understand that freedom of speech... doesn’t protect you from losing your job if you’re irresponsible.” – Luke Rosiak, [00:39]
• “The kind of posts we’re talking about are people explicitly cheering or celebrating Charlie’s death. And in that sense, I think potentially encouraging more such violence.” – Megan Basham, [06:40]
• “You could argue this is literally buying government.” – John Bickley, [12:49]

---

Important Timestamps

• [01:25] Arrest and confession details of suspect Tyler Robinson
• [02:09] Insights on suspect’s motive and ideological ties
• [04:28] Erica Kirk’s address to the nation
• [05:21] Turning Point USA movement and fundraising surge
• [06:25] Example of public ridicule from punk rap duo Bob Vylan
• [07:46] Corporate and institutional firings over celebration posts
• [09:14] Celebrity and sports tributes (Morgan Wallen, Coldplay, etc.)
• [11:10] Start of expose on donor-driven prosecutors and Wren Collective
• [13:52] Discussion of Wren Collective’s hidden funding and influence

---

Summary Conclusion

The episode presents a comprehensive account of the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, shedding light on the suspect’s background and motive while highlighting the enormous public, social, and institutional response—including accountability for those celebrating the murder. The latter half delves into the impact of billionaire-funded groups like the Wren Collective in shaping criminal justice policy, raising ethical questions about the transparency and legitimacy of such outside influence over law enforcement and prosecutorial discretion. The tone is urgent and investigative, with the hosts and reporters emphasizing consequences, accountability, and the persistence of Kirk’s influence even after his tragic death.

Transcript

[John Bickley]

As people across the nation come together to remember Charlie Kirk, authorities reveal more details about the actions and potential motives of the murder suspect.

[Cabot Phillips]

He has not confessed to authorities. He is not cooperating.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, September 15th, and this is MORNING Wire.

[Georgia Howe]

Companies across the country are cracking down on workers celebrating Kirk's death and in many cases, ending their employment entirely.

[Luke Rosiak]

People don't understand that freedom of speech protects you from being arrested and put in jail for what you say, but it doesn't protect you from losing your job if you're irresponsible.

[John Bickley]

And with the nation still reeling from the stabbing in Charlotte, a new investigation pulls back the curtain on a shadowy group pushing soft on crime policies across the country.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. As America continues to mourn the assassination of Charlie Kirk, stunning new details have emerged about the alleged gunman who took his life.

[John Bickley]

Here with the latest is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. A Cabot saw a lot of developments this weekend, a lot of which the media frankly buried or ignored. Let's start with what led up to the suspect's arrest.

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah. As we reported, family members of 22 year old Tyler Robinson saw the FBI's suspect images circulating and recognized his face when they confronted their son. He reportedly confessed to the shooting, but said he would rather take his own life than turn himself in. That then prompted his father to call a family friend who was also a youth pastor and former law enforcement official, and he then alerted the US Marshal Service. Together, the two convinced him to turn himself in peacefully when authorities eventually arrived. He's now being charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and also obstruction of justice. And remember, the governor said they will be seeking the death penalty.

[John Bickley]

Right. And something that Trump wants him to do, he said very emphatically. Now, what have we learned about the suspect's background? A lot more has come to light, correct?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, many in the media continue to say that there's just no way of knowing the potential motive here. Others have gone as far as speculating that the shooter could have even been far right and gone after Kirk for that reason. But there is increasing evidence that Robinson despised Kirk for his conservative political views. First, there are the shell casings found with the gun. One was inscribed with the words, quote, hay fascist catch. According to Utah Governor Spencer Cox, quote, it's very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with Leftist ideology. According to authorities, Robinson was in also a potentially romantic relationship with his roommate. It was a man who reportedly identifies as a transgender woman. Again, that's a fact that also has been largely ignored by the media. That roommate is cooperating with authorities, who've been combing through the pair's chat history for more evidence on a potential motive and even to see if the roommate could have been involved in some way. But for his part, Robinson has yet to confess to law enforcement and is not cooperating. Here's Utah Governor Cox to that point on Sunday.

[John Bickley]

All the people around him are cooperating.

[Cabot Phillips]

And I think that's very important. There were reports yesterday that we can confirm that his roommate was indeed a boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female. Now, authorities are also digging through a number of messaging platforms, including Discord, where Robinson was incredibly active over the last few years. At one point after the shooting, fellow users seemingly recognized his face from those FBI images. They tagged him and joked that they would turn him in and split the reward money. Robinson reportedly responded by saying if they did that he wanted a cut of the money and that quote, he better also get rid of his manifesto and exact copy rifle that I have laying around. So he was very soon after this joking around with his friends. Obviously, authorities are also looking into that messaging history to see if any of those acquaintances had advanced knowledge or could have helped plan in some way.

[John Bickley]

Right. Lots of questions remain about who else might have been involved, what role they might have played. Now, we also heard from Charlie's wife, Erica, for the first time over the weekend. Tell us what we heard from her.

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah. The clearly emotional widow offered an address to the nation. Standing behind her late husband's empty radio chair, she thanked the millions of Americans who for their support while sending a message to the assassin and those who've been cheering on his evil deed.

[Georgia Howe]

They should all know this. If you thought that my husband's mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country. The movement my husband built will not die.

[Cabot Phillips]

On Saturday, Turning Point USA announced plans for a memorial honoring Kirk at State Farm Stadium. That's where the Arizona Cardinals play. Tens of thousands, maybe more, are expected to turn out for that service. Online fundraisers for Charlie's family have also brought in millions of dollars. One of those efforts with GiveSendGo, broke the all time record for most money raised in the shortest period of time. There's also been a surge in those watching Charlie's content online and looking to get involved. His Social media channels, which are still active, have gained millions of new followers in the last 72 hours. And get this turning Point. Officials say they've received 32,000 requests to start new groups at colleges and high schools nationwide.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, really incredible to see his movement not just growing, but growing exponentially since this tragedy. Kevin, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

[John Bickley]

While there have been countless touching tributes to Charlie Kirk, we've also seen plenty of people on the left celebrating his death, including, and there have already been some consequences for those celebrations.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham is here now to discuss. So, Megan, as upsetting as it can be to cover, we have to acknowledge that there were a lot of comments online and videos circulating of people expressing happiness that Kirk passed.

[Megan Basham]

Yes. And, you know, I'll be honest with you, Georgia, a lot of that has been truly shocking to people. Videos like this circulating online. Punk rap duo Bob Villain made some truly awful comments at their concert in Amsterdam on Saturday.

[Ad/Promo Voice]

I want to dedicate this next one to an absolute piece of a human being. The pronouns was were Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.

[Megan Basham]

Meanwhile, many teachers, professors, executives are being disciplined or fired over their celebrations of Charlie Kirk's death. Now, a lot of media outlets have been describing this as retaliation for people merely posting opinions or being insensitive. That's how NPR and NBC framed it. But I don't think that goes nearly far enough. The kind of posts we're talking about are people explicitly cheering or celebrating Charlie's death. And in that sense, I think potentially encouraging more such violence. So East Tennessee State University placed two faculty on leave for posts like, this isn't a tragedy, it's a victory. The dean of students at Middle Tennessee was fired for saying Charlie spoke his fate into existence. In New Orleans, a firefighter is on leave for calling the bullet a gift from God. Both American Airlines and Delta have had to put pilots and staff on leave or fired them for making similar such comments. And of course, this follows MSNBC commentator Matthew Dowd, who was fired last Thursday for basically suggesting that Charlie had it coming.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, I believe we've also seen some disciplinary actions even in the government and military, too, correct?

[Megan Basham]

Yes, that's correct. A Secret Service agent was placed on administrative leave, and sources are telling me imminent firing after a Facebook post saying that karma had caught up with Charlie. Unfortunately, this is just a small sampling, so I don't think we can call this fringe, but the public is reacting with shock and disgust, as they should.

[Georgia Howe]

Now let's turn to some more worthy voices. Those celebrating Kirk's life and his legacy, some of which are coming from, from some unexpected places. What have we heard from there?

[Megan Basham]

Yeah. So the outpouring of love, affection, condolences for Charlie Kirk are continuing. Just last week, the NFL held a moment of silence before the Packers Commanders game for Charlie. The Tennessee Titans had another one. NASCAR had a flyover in his honor. And then there's the music industry. So country star Jason Aldean talked about getting to know Charlie on a personal level.

[John Bickley]

Charlie's a guy that's going to be very, very much news. And this is something that his legacy.

[Ad/Promo Voice]

Is going to live on forever with.

[John Bickley]

Turning Point and what he's done with only 31 years on this planet.

[Luke Rosiak]

It's a day.

[Megan Basham]

So another country star, Morgan Wallen, addressed Erica Kirk, Charlie's widow.

[Luke Rosiak]

This song right here has been hit me harder in the last couple days and I just wanted to let Erica Kirk know that me and my family are sending prayers her way.

[Megan Basham]

Luke Bryan also paid tribute. And then on the rock scene, we've got Coldplay, who maybe a little unexpectedly encouraged the crowd of 90,000 at their London concert to show some love for Charlie Kirk and his family. And really, that's just again, a small sampling. This kind of thing is happening all over the country and it joins all of the prayer vigils and memorials that are also taking place. And in fact, I'm going to one.

[Georgia Howe]

Of those tonight, and several of us attended one last night as well. Megan, thanks for reporting.

[Megan Basham]

My pleasure.

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[Georgia Howe]

The slaying of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina has spurred calls for accountability for politicians who have created a revolving door for violent criminals.

[John Bickley]

A new report found that one billionaire backed influence group has helped spread soft on crime policies to prosecutors offices across the country. Joining us now is Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak. Hey, Luke. So tell us what you found here.

[Luke Rosiak]

Hey, John. So there's been a lot of attention on how billionaires like George Soros spent more than $100 million funding campaigns for these so called progressive prosecutors in cities across the country. These are prosecutors who often had no experience actually enforcing laws. Instead were basically activists supporting the rights of suspects and convicts. And that's really what caused a huge change in the way that America deals with crime over the last decade. But a new investigation from the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund found that after they were elected, an outside activist group funded by the same people that funded the campaigns, helped literally run those government offices. The Wren Collective is a group started by a former public defender named Jessica Brand. And it says the system of policing and mass incarceration is deeply flawed and intractably racist. Emails obtained under public records laws show that the same billionaires who funded a prosecutor's campaign would then pay the nonprofit to offer free services to the prosecutor for things like policymaking and communications.

[John Bickley]

All right, so basically offering to fund their own sort of quasi governmental employees. It's kind of like ExxonMobil providing employees to work for the EPA, correct?

[Luke Rosiak]

Exactly. A new prosecutor's campaign donor would connect him with a ren collective which would offer to write policies and say, quote, we do this work without any billing or publicity, these policies will be yours. So pending approval of exactly what they intended to do, the funder would then release money to Wren and. And this tiny group worked for a stunning 40 plus prosecutor's offices and wrote policies such as eliminating cash bail and declining to prosecute certain misdemeanors.

[John Bickley]

That's remarkable. You could argue this is literally buying government. Is that fair?

[Luke Rosiak]

Yeah, I mean, they were doing work for taxpayers, but they arguably viewed their donors as their actual clients. And so, you know, behind prosecutors like Alvin Bragg, Cheza Boudin, Marilyn Mosby, Rachel Rawlins, and George Gascon was the Wren Collective, writing their core policies, writing op eds attributed to them, and much more. They often worked without a contract and they kept their roles secret, but they were literally intervening on specific criminal cases. Jessica Brand texted one prosecutor, San Antonio's Jose Gonzalez, that he should drop a death penalty case and asked him if she should have activists from a PAC begin pressuring judges who were causing problems. After a police officer non fatally shot a suspect who hit him with a car, she pushed Gonzalez to drop the charges against the suspect and indict the officer instead. She even told Gonzalez what to say. Gonzalez's aide assured her that he, quote, stuck to the talking points.

[John Bickley]

So who is behind this? Who is funding this group?

[Luke Rosiak]

Well, the Ren Collective is structured to hide its finances by operating as a subsidiary of, if you can believe it, a non profit that once existed to push Soviet Union propaganda in the US Called the American Soviet Film Initiative. It declined to tell me anything about its finances or the ethical questions raised by privately funded government government aids. But the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund found that top donors include the wives of Facebook co founders Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskvitz, as well as oil heiress Stacy Schusterman and John Arnold, a former executive of the disgraced company Enron. And then there's a wild twist. After getting its hooks into government offering these free services courtesy of funding from these donors, Jessica Brand would then sometimes start charging taxpayers hefty fees for her services and have them paid to a for profit LLC with the same name as the nonprofit. So after the Department of Justice said it was investigating Minneapolis prosecutor Mary Moriarty for civil rights violations because she said charging decisions would take into account a suspect's racial identity, Moriarty asked the Board of Supervisors for approval to Pay ren collective $150,000 to counteract, quote, misinformation. And that was going to the for profit llc.

[John Bickley]

So Americans thought they were electing these different prosecutors, but behind the scenes was this activist group run by a former public defender. Luke, thanks for joining us.

[Luke Rosiak]

Thank you, John.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're watching on YouTube, please like and subscribe. We'll be back later this evening with more news you need to know.

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