Tag: assassinations

Candace Owens Gets Inside TPUSA’s Head

TURNING POINT USA COMMUNICATIONS staffer Aubrey Laitsch was called into a meeting last month and abruptly told she was being fired, according to a video she posted online last week.

In her telling, the reason Laitsch was given for being let go involved a convoluted story about an Uber ride. It went like this:

A TPUSA executive had taken an Uber and asked his driver what he thought of the organization. The driver replied that he had heard it was in chaos in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination—and that no one inside TPUSA liked Erika Kirk, Kirk’s widow and now TPUSA’s CEO. Then the Uber driver revealed to the TPUSA executive that the source of his information was Laistch, who the driver claimed was a high school friend of his daughter’s.

A strange story, and one Laitsch said she didn’t buy. She then offered up another explanation—one she said didn’t come up during her discussion with TPUSA executives but which she sensed was a factor in her termination.

Laitsch, as she outlined in her video, seems to genuinely believe that her own organization had something to do with its founder’s murder or an ensuing coverup.

The unfounded claim that Charlie Kirk’s assassination was some sort of inside job is growing in popularity on the right after being promoted by YouTuber and former TPUSA employee Candace Owens. Laitsch claims that others at TPUSA are suspicious about Kirk’s murder too—and that they had been discussing among themselves how they couldn’t raise the issue internally.

“I just have a gut feeling that I was terminated from Turning Point because I am questioning the narrative of what happened to my role model and CEO, Charlie Kirk, on the day of his assassination,” Laitsch said in the video.

Laitsch did not respond to a request for comment.

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Zelensky tries to kill the chance for Russia-Ukraine peace, again

The assassination attempt on Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, first deputy chief of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) is clearly the Zelensky regime’s latest desperate bid to sabotage the emerging Russia-Ukraine-US negotiations channel in Abu Dhabi and prolong the war.

When negotiations gain traction, spoilers surface. That’s Negotiations 101. And this week’s second round in Abu Dhabi was precisely the kind of movement that unnerves actors who fear ballots, reforms, and accountability more than inevitable defeat on the battlefield.

The target choice reinforces the point. Alekseyev is the second-in-command of GRU chief Igor Kostyukov – who sits on the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi. Striking the No. 2 as the No. 1 shuttles between sessions is both a very deliberate message and an attempt to rattle Russia’s delegation, inject chaos into its decision loop, force security overdrive, and ultimately, provoke Moscow’s withdrawal from the talks.

Nor is this the first time kinetic theater has tracked with diplomatic motion. Recall the attempted drone strike on President Vladimir Putin’s Valdai residence in late 2025, which coincided with particularly intense US-Russia exchanges. You don’t have to be a cynic to see a pattern: whenever the diplomatic door cracks open, someone try to slam it shut with explosives, drones, or bullets – then retreats behind a smokescreen of denials and proxies. Call it plausible deniability as policy.

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Threats on VP Vance Expose a Sick Secret As Feds Close In

Unfortunately, Vice President JD Vance is no stranger to threats. Vance and his family have endured multiple threats since he became the 50th Vice President of the United States. 

One of the most recent instances has resulted in federal charges against an Ohio man, and there’s an added dark twist involved here. 

On Friday, the Department of Justice announced that a federal grand jury had returned an indictment against a 33-year-old Ohio man who threatened to kill Vance during his January visit to Ohio.

TOLEDO, Ohio – A federal grand jury returned an indictment earlier this week charging a 33-year-old man with threatening to kill the Vice President of the United States during his visit to the Northwest Ohio region in January.

Shannon Mathre, of Toledo, is accused of making a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, a successor to the presidency, in violation of Title 18 U.S. Code Section 871(a). In the indictment, he allegedly stated, “I am going to find out where he (the vice president) is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.” Mathre was arrested by U.S. Secret Service agents Feb. 6.

But it isn’t just threats against Vance for which Mathre is facing charges. 

The grand jury further charges that from about Dec. 31, 2025, to Jan. 21, 2026, Mathre was also engaged in the receipt and distribution of images that visually depict minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, in violation of Title 18 U.S. Code Section 2252(a)(2). While investigating the threats allegedly made against the vice president, federal agents discovered multiple digital files of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in Mathre’s possession.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had this to say about the matter: 

“Our attorneys are vigorously prosecuting this disgusting threat against Vice President Vance. You can hide behind a screen, but you cannot hide from this Department of Justice.”

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WaPo Journalist Fired For Justifying Charlie Kirk’s Killing Calls New Firings at Paper Akin to ‘Colonial Press Censorship’

Karen Attiah didn’t stick around to get fired this week by The Washington Post. She’d already been dismissed, for cause, and a good one: She’d effectively spent the period following Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September taking quotes wildly out of context to effectively justify the murder.

You probably haven’t heard much from Attiah unless you’re a real devotee of hers or of Bluesky, the ersatz X alternative for people who can’t handle opinions that aren’t their own.

She posts quite freely over there, and she had some thoughts about the layoffs this week at her former paper: specifically, they’re all part of the white colonialism baked into the free press from before America was founded!

As for the Post employees not fired for cause: The paper announced earlier this week that it was slashing a third of its workforce and cutting entire sections, including sports, in a major shake-up.

While the paper’s financials aren’t publicly aired due to the fact that it’s a private concern — owned by Jeff Bezos — reports are that it lost $100 million alone in 2023, about 40 percent of the paper’s estimated value.

Furthermore, competitors like The New York Times have made a successful transition to covering news and being a general lifestyle outlet, while niche publications like Politico and The Hill have sucked up much of the Capitol Hill staffer/political junkie audience the paper used to garner.

In mid-2024, publisher Will Lewis fired executive editor Sally Buzbee and replaced her with Matt Murray, and warned staff that their product wasn’t influential or widely read. This caused much discord but apparently, no real change in direction, either politically or in the quality of the paper.

Whether or not the “firings will continue until standards improve” approach will work is anyone’s guess, although I don’t know anyone outside the liberal media sphere who believes Wednesday’s move made the Post any less readable or valuable.

Inside that sphere, however, there was much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth, and even gnashing of hands and wringing of teeth. That’s how upset everyone was that Jeff Bezos wasn’t running the Post as if it were a charity cause — which would make it one of the least successful charities in Washington, it must be noted, and that’s an accomplishment.

There were no shortage of bad takes on this, particularly from former Post employees. However, Attiah’s is really something to behold, for more reasons than one.

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Masked stalker fearing ‘fascist takeover’ arrested for murder plot of Trump aide

Donald Trump‘s budget director is the latest in a string of Trump administration officials to face a death threat.

Colin Demarco, 26, of Maryland was arrested January 22 by Arlington County Police for attempted murder charges following a five-month investigation stemming from a suspicious incident this summer.

He showed up in August at the Northern Virginia home of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought wearing a surgical mask and gloves under the guise of job searching, according to court documents.

Demarco feared Trump’s reelection would lead to a ‘fascist takeover’ and wrote notes plotting to murder a victim with the initials ‘R.V.’ and who ‘has served as a presidential appointee,’ though Vought’s name did not explicitly appear in the complaint.

The alleged victim was, according to court documents, involved in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation-funded conservative outline for the US during Trump’s second term proposing a reshaping of the federal government to consolidate power in the executive branch.

Vought, an architect of this plan, has generated controversy due to his role in leading mass layoffs of thousands across the federal government during Trump’s first year back in office.

‘We are grateful for the work of law enforcement in keeping Director Vought and his family safe,’ an OMB spokesperson said in a statement on the arrest and charges against Demarco.

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Russian General Shot Multiple Times In Moscow Assassination Attempt – Hospitalized

Russian Lt Gen Vladimir Alekseyev of the Russian Ministry of Defense was shot several times in the back in Moscow in an apparent assassination attempt. The Russian Investigative Committee said the attempt was ‘foiled’.

“The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Articles 30 and 105 (“Attempted Murder”), as well as Article 222 (“Illegal Trafficking of Firearms”) over the attempted murder of Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev in northwestern Moscow,” reported Russian state media entity TASS.

According to the investigation, on February 6, 2026, an unidentified person fired several shots at a man in a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway in Moscow and fled the scene. “The victim was taken to one of the city hospitals,” Petrenko said.

Investigators and forensic experts from the Moscow Investigative Committee are working at the scene, studying CCTV footage and interviewing witnesses. “Investigative and operational search measures are being carried out to identify those involved in the crime,” the spokeswoman added.

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Ryan Routh Sentenced to Life in Prison for Trump Assassination Attempt

A federal judge on Feb. 4 sentenced Ryan Routh to life in prison for attempting in 2024 to assassinate President Donald Trump, then a presidential candidate.

Routh was also sentenced to seven years behind bars on a gun charge and received a $500 fine.

During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors sought life imprisonment for his assassination plot, while the defense mounted broad but ultimately unsuccessful objections.

Defense attorney Martin Roth opened by making a blanket objection to all facts in the pre-sentence investigation report, reiterating Routh’s not-guilty plea and disputing any finding that he intended to commit murder. Judge Aileen Cannon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida pressed Roth on whether he would offer evidence to support the objection. When he said “no,” prosecutors argued that the report contains facts, not allegations. Cannon overruled the objection.

Roth next argued that the federal terrorism statute did not apply, claiming that it does not cover former presidents or major presidential candidates. Cannon read the statute aloud and repeatedly asked Roth to identify a legal gap.

Prosecutors countered that the statute is not exhaustive and clearly covers conduct related to protected individuals, including assault and interference with protective duties. They emphasized that assault under the law includes impeding agents in the performance of their duties. Cannon agreed and ruled that the charges qualified as terrorism offenses, citing overwhelming evidence such as text messages, months of planning, and weapons acquisition.

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Man who falsely claimed to be Charlie Kirk’s assassin convicted of having child sex abuse materials

The man who falsely claimed to be Charlie Kirk’s assassin in order to distract police has pleaded guilty to having child sex abuse materials on his phone that were discovered after his arrest.

George Zinn, 71, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and felony obstruction of justice in a Utah municipal court. He could spend up to 15 years in prison when a state parole board reviews his case at a later date.

Moments after Kirk was fatally shot Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University, Zinn began screaming that he had killed the conservative activist, court documents show.

Authorities tackled and arrested Zinn amid the chaos, but when police asked him where the gun was, Zinn said, “I am not going to tell you where it is. I shot him, now shoot me,” the documents note.

Zinn was taken to a hospital after experiencing a medical episode during his arrest, the documents say. While receiving treatment, Zinn admitted to being “glad he said he shot the individual so the real suspect could get away.”

Detectives later charged Tyler Robinson in Kirk’s slaying.

Zinn also said he was uneasy about the police confiscating his phone because he had child sex abuse materials on the device.

Charging documents said investigators found more than 20 images of children in which youths were partially naked or posing in a “sexual” manner.

“I wish the court to know I am not and will never be a danger to children or their parents,” Zinn said during his hearing last week, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

“I want to put the past behind me and move forward,” he said through tears.

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Senior FBI Official Describes ‘Surreal’ Call Where Kash Patel Dictated Social Media Strategy Right After Kirk Assassination

In the immediate aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination in September, FBI Director Kash Patel prioritized social media strategy over the bureau’s response to the killing, according to a senior FBI official.

On Thursday, The New York Times published accounts of Patel’s tenure from 45 people who either currently work at the FBI or left during President Donald Trump’s second term.

“Beginning with Trump’s selection of Patel, our sources narrated the events that most troubled them over the last year,” the Times stated. “Many details of what we learned are reported here for the first time.”

Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of TPUSA, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. In an unusual move for an FBI director, Patel traveled to the crime scene that day. Previously, it had been reported that Patel refused to get off the FBI plane in Provo until he was given a medium-sized raid jacket. In its report on Thursday, the Times cited an anonymous “senior executive” in the bureau who described a conference call on the day of the killing.

The official said Patel prioritized social media strategy over next steps in the investigation:

Whenever there’s a critical incident, one of the first things that happens is a conference call with everybody — all the executives, most of the field offices dial in. The director rarely speaks, because someone with situational awareness is leading the call. They’ll say: Here’s what happened. Here’s what we know. Here’s what we need. But we get on, and it’s just Kash berating the special agent in charge in Salt Lake. He’s super emotional.

And then it turns surreal. He and [then-Deputy Director Dan] Bongino start talking about their Twitter strategy. And Kash is like: I’m gonna tweet this. Salt Lake, you tweet that. Dan, you come in with this. Then I’ll come back with this. They’re literally scripting out their social media, not talking about how we’re going to respond or resources or the situation. He’s screaming that he wants to put stuff out, but it’s not even vetted yet. It’s not even accurate.

When I was an agent, I did hundreds of these cases. The initial information that comes in is always wrong. There’s too much coming in, and it takes time to vet. And it was obvious that Kash can’t understand that and doesn’t want to understand that.

Everyone on the call is just like: This guy is completely out of control. On another call, he said: When a crisis happens, the only thing you need to do is call me. The most important thing in any crisis is controlling the narrative. I was like: No, no, no. We actually have to do some work here. We’re going to have to investigate, to solve this.

Hours after Kirk’s assassination, Patel posted on X that the shooter was in custody, but later said the person had been released. The next day, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson turned himself in to authorities.

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Utah Sen. Mike Lee Calls for Public Execution of Man Charged in Charlie Kirk Killing

Utah Sen. Mike Lee is drawing national attention after publicly calling for the execution of the man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, using social media to demand the punishment be carried out “in public,” as reported by The New York Post.

“Execute Tyler Robinson. In public,” Lee wrote in a post on X.

The comments followed a court filing Monday by Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who called for a speedy trial in the case. In the filing, she accused the defense team of the accused killer of employing delay tactics as the high-profile prosecution moves forward.

Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Kirk during a Turning Point USA event held last September at Utah Valley University.

Prosecutors have already indicated they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.

Lee’s remarks marked the second time in recent days that the Utah Republican has publicly called for Robinson to receive the death penalty.

In a similar X post on Friday, Lee wrote, “Tyler Robinson publicly executed Charlie Kirk,” followed by another statement saying, “Tyler Robinson should be publicly executed.”

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