ABC News reporter Matt Gutman has issued a statement in the wake of backlash to his on-air comments about the suspected Charlie Kirk assassin and his roommate.
The network’s chief national correspondent drew condemnation on Tuesday for calling the texts between suspected shooter Tyler Robinson and his roommate “very touching in a way we did not expect.”
The comments drew immediate blowback online, with some accusing Gutman of romanticizing the person accused of murdering the conservative activist.
On Wednesday, Gutman posted on X: “Yesterday I tried to underscore the jarring contrast between this cold blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk — a man who dedicated his life to public dialogue — and the personal, disturbing texts read aloud by the Utah County Attorney at the press conference.”
Continued Gutman: “I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear. But let there be zero doubt here: I unequivocally condemn this horrific crime and the pain it caused Charlie Kirk’s family, those who were forced to witness it at UVU and the millions of people he inspired.”
Some of the text messages include Robinson confessing to his roommate: “To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.” When asked why he shot Kirk, Robinson replied, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it … Don’t take any interviews or make any comments. … if any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer and stay silent.”
Several media figures have lost their jobs after making comments following Kirk’s murder.
Karen Attiah, an opinion columnist for The Washington Post, said she was dismissed after posting about “racial double standards” in the wake of the killing, according to The New York Times. Attiah had written on Bluesky: “Part of what keeps America so violent is the insistence that people perform care, empty goodness and absolution for white men who espouse hatred and violence.”
MSNBC’s Matthew Dowd was ousted last week after suggesting Kirk’s rhetoric was to blame for his murder, saying “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
Dowd later defending his comments on Substack, writing, “He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that is the environment we are in. You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”
MSNBC bosses — Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, president Mike Cavanagh and Versant CEO Mark Lazarus — told staff on Friday the the coverage “was at odds with fostering civil dialogue and being willing to listen to the points of view of those who have differing opinions. We should be able to disagree, robustly and passionately, but, ultimately, with respect. We need to do better.”