Harvard Law Professor Criticized for Spreading Misinformation About Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination, a respected Harvard Law professor found himself in hot water after hastily spreading false information about the suspect’s political affiliations. Laurence Tribe, who taught at Harvard Law School for over 50 years until his retirement in 2020, shared an unverified claim on social media platform X that the suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson, was “ultra-MAGA,” suggesting Republicans were wrongly attempting to blame liberals for the shooting. Tribe, who has advised multiple presidential administrations including those of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, amplified content from a partisan account called Occupy Democrats, which attempted to characterize Robinson as a right-wing extremist despite emerging evidence indicating otherwise. The professor’s post stated, “Kirk’s apparent assassin seems to have been ultra-MAGA, exploding the GOP/MAGA attempt to pin the blame for this tragedy on liberals,” a claim that would soon be contradicted by official investigations.
Facts about the case quickly undermined Tribe’s assertion. Senior FBI officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect, was in a romantic relationship with a transgender partner with whom he shared an apartment in Saint George, Utah. The shooting occurred during Kirk’s speaking event at Utah Valley University, where moments before the incident, an audience member had specifically questioned Kirk about transgender Americans who have committed mass shootings. Utah Governor Spencer Cox later characterized the killing as a “political assassination,” noting that a family member had turned Robinson in, reporting that he had “become more political in recent years.” These details painted a more complex picture than the simplistic political characterization Tribe had shared.
The social media backlash against Tribe was swift and severe. Jeremy Carl, a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, criticized the professor for “spewing absolute lies about Kirk’s assassin from one of the most notorious fake news sites out there.” Carl highlighted the troubling reality that someone of Tribe’s stature – “arguably the most prominent legal academic of his generation” – would spread such unverified information during a sensitive moment. The incident raised concerns about how even highly educated individuals with distinguished careers can contribute to the spread of misinformation during politically charged events. Neither Tribe nor Harvard University responded immediately to requests for comment from media outlets seeking clarification on the professor’s statements.
The source of Tribe’s claims, the Occupy Democrats social media account, had attempted to paint a particular narrative about Robinson and his family. They described Robinson as “an unstable homegrown white man with access to firearms” from a family of “hardcore MAGA” and “run-of-the-mill conservative gun nuts.” The group also tried to interpret messages etched into bullet casings found near the suspect’s weapon as connections to video games rather than political motives, and dismissed the possibility that certain inscriptions might have indicated left-wing sympathies. One casing was engraved with “Hey fascist! Catch!” which the group claimed “does not appear to be a left-wing ‘antifa’ message.” Another inscription, “Bella Ciao,” refers to an anti-fascist song historically associated with left-wing Italian partisans during World War II.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk has reopened painful conversations about the increasingly dangerous political climate in America. Kirk, the founder of conservative organization Turning Point USA, was speaking to students when he was fatally shot. The incident occurred against a backdrop of rising political tensions and concerns about violent rhetoric across the political spectrum. In a troubling coincidence, Kirk had warned about what he called an “assassination culture spreading on the left” in an online post months before his murder. However, rushing to assign blame before a thorough investigation could be conducted only served to further inflame an already volatile situation, as demonstrated by the backlash to Tribe’s premature characterization.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the responsibility public figures bear when commenting on tragic events, particularly those with political dimensions. Laurence Tribe’s distinguished career, which included advising presidents and serving on Biden’s Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, gave his words significant weight and reach. When someone with such credentials shares unverified information during a national tragedy, it not only potentially misleads the public but can further polarize an already divided nation. As investigations into Kirk’s assassination continue, this episode highlights the importance of waiting for verified facts before drawing conclusions about motives or affiliations, especially in cases involving political violence that can so easily be weaponized to deepen existing divisions in American society.
