ABC reporter calls alleged Charlie Kirk assassin's text messages with transgender partner 'very touching'
ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman is under fire for putting a spotlight on what he called the "very touching" text messages Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin sent to his transgender partner.
After the press conference announcing the murder charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, Gutman marveled at "such specific text messages" that were unearthed about the murder weapon.
"But, also, it was very touching in a way that many of us didn't expect," Gutman said. "A very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, who is transitioning, calling him ‘my love.’ And ‘I want to protect you, my love.'
"So, it was this duality of someone who the attorney said not only jeopardized the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd, but was doing it in front of children, which is one of the aggravating circumstances of this case. And then, on the other hand, he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner. So a very interesting and … riveting press conference."
On ABC News' livestream platform, Gutman doubled down, calling it "heartbreaking on so many levels," linking Kirk's brutal murder to the "portrait of a very human person."
"I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a press conference in which we’ve read text messages that are A, so fulsome, so robust, so apparently allegedly self-incriminating and yet, on the other hand, so touching, right?" Gutman said.
"And the terminology he used, he was trying to protect him. He kept calling him ‘my love.’ ‘My reason for doing this is to protect you,’ you know, but also asking him to delete the messages and not speak to law enforcement. So, there’s this heartbreaking duality that we’re seeing very tragically playing out."
After the press conference announcing the murder charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, Gutman marveled at "such specific text messages" that were unearthed about the murder weapon.
"But, also, it was very touching in a way that many of us didn't expect," Gutman said. "A very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, who is transitioning, calling him ‘my love.’ And ‘I want to protect you, my love.'
"So, it was this duality of someone who the attorney said not only jeopardized the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd, but was doing it in front of children, which is one of the aggravating circumstances of this case. And then, on the other hand, he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner. So a very interesting and … riveting press conference."
On ABC News' livestream platform, Gutman doubled down, calling it "heartbreaking on so many levels," linking Kirk's brutal murder to the "portrait of a very human person."
"I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a press conference in which we’ve read text messages that are A, so fulsome, so robust, so apparently allegedly self-incriminating and yet, on the other hand, so touching, right?" Gutman said.
"And the terminology he used, he was trying to protect him. He kept calling him ‘my love.’ ‘My reason for doing this is to protect you,’ you know, but also asking him to delete the messages and not speak to law enforcement. So, there’s this heartbreaking duality that we’re seeing very tragically playing out."
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