Turning Point’s Kolvet says he gave Charlie Kirk’s private texts to Joe Kent before they were leaked
TO Turning Point USA official has an concept about how anti-Israel podcaster Candace Owens obtained textual content messages despatched by slain conservative chief Charlie Kirk within the days before his demise.
He pointed his finger within the path of Joe Kent.
Spokesperson Andrew Kolvet stated Monday that he shared the group chat with Mr. Kent following Kirk’s assassination, when Mr. Kent was director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
“Eventually Joe did message me and suggest that I make those screen grabs public. I declined because those were shared privately,” Mr. Kolvet stated on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which he now co-hosts with Blake Neff.
“I didn’t want to be reckless with them in the public – there could be innocent people on that group chat that would then be harmed – so I declined. But then, fast-forward another week or two, and they were made public,” he stated.
Screenshots of the texts, through which Kirk expresses frustration with “Jewish donors,” created an uproar after being posted on-line Oct. 8 by Ms. Owens.
“What I know is that Joe suggested that they be made public, I declined, then they were made public,” Mr. Kolvet stated. “Can I 100% categorically say that he leaked them? No, but those are the facts. Maybe someone on his team. Maybe they got passed around. Maybe someone else leaked them. But those are the facts of the matter, and that’s what I know.”
Mr. Kent denied leaking the group chat to Ms. Owens in a March 20 interview with conservative podcast host Megyn Kelly.
Mr. Kolvet had beforehand stated solely that he shared the group chat with a authorities official.
The disclosure comes because the FBI is reportedly investigating Mr. Kent for leaking labeled data, a probe that started before he resigned March 17 over his opposition to the US navy strikes on Iran.
president trump informed reporters Monday that he was “not a fan” of his former counter-terrorism chief.
“I hear they’re looking at him for leaking. That’s possible,” stated Mr. Trump at Palm Beach International Airport before boarding Air Force One.
He stated he felt sorry for Mr. Kent after he misplaced House races in Washington in 2022 and 2024. Mr. Kent ran for workplace after his spouse Shannon Smith, a Navy cryptologist, was killed in a 2019 suicide bombing in Syria.
“I take this guy, Joe Kentwho lost twice for Congress, pretty badly and tough, and he was devastated, and I know that he lost his wife,” Mr. Trump said. “So instead of letting him live out his life, I brilliantly had my people call him and offer him a job in security, essentially, in the White House. And what does he do? “He goes out and he says that Iran is not a threat, to get publicity.”
The FBI suspects Mr. Kent of leaking labeled data to two right-wing podcasters, together with anti-Israel commentator Tucker Carlson, in accordance to Axios.
In his interview with Ms. Kelly, Mr. Kent additionally denied leaking to Mr. Carlson.
Here are the information: Yes, I shared the display seize with Joe Kent as a result of I used to be informed I may belief him and I needed EVERY attainable lead pursued. We’ve completed this quietly behind the scenes with numerous objects.
Yes he did counsel I make it public. I declined. A couple of weeks later the… https://t.co/Jx09MBIoPr pic.twitter.com/7FzZEEtsRe
—Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) March 23, 2026
The day after his resignation, Mr. Kent appeared on “The Tucker Carlson Show” for a two-hour interview, saying he was stopped from persevering with his investigation into Kirk’s assassination, despite the fact that he thought there was “more work for us to do on the potential of a foreign nexus.”
Tyler James Robinson was charged with aggravated homicide in Kirk’s demise Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University, which hasn’t stopped conspiracy theories concerning the circumstances of his killing from proliferating within the podcast world.
The leaked group chat confirmed Kirk saying that he misplaced a serious donor over his refusal to stiff-arm Mr. Carlson, who has develop into persona non grata with huge swaths of the conservative motion for his blasts at Israel and opposition to the Trump administration’s use of navy power.
Kirk was referred to as a powerful supporter of Israel, however his messages included a number of moments of frustration about Jews and Israel.
“Just lost another huge Jewish donor. $2 million a year because we won’t cancel Tucker,” reads one.
“Jewish donors play into all the stereotypes. I cannot be bullied like this. Leaving me no choice but to leave the pro-Israel cause,” he says in one other.
The messages fueled these wanting to blame Israel for Kirk’s demise, stated Mr. Neff in Monday’s Kirk present podcast.
“After Charlie’s murder, there were text messages from a private group chat that were made public and were used to frankly kick off the big conspiracy theory that we’ve run into over and over again, which is that Israel or the Jews had Charlie murdered,” Mr. Neff stated. “Which we do not believe.”
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, referred to as “Charlie Kirk’s rabbi,” accused Mr. Kent of leaking the group chat to Ms. Owens in an interview Sunday with host Erin Molan, prompting the response from Mr. Kolvet.
“I do want to confirm what I can confirm, and that is that: Yes, in the immediate aftermath, I did provide the group chat to Joe Kent,” Mr. Kolvet stated, though he added cautions about Turning Point not being a type of who “throw around accusations recklessly.”
