Maggie Haberman calls Kash Patel 'pretty new' and 'very online' amid Charlie Kirk investigation fallout

WASHINGON, DC: New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman has criticized FBI Director Kash Patel’s handling of the fallout from conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing.

Kirk was shot during an event at Utah Valley University and later died from his injuries, sending shockwaves through politics and media. Patel quickly came under fire after issuing a statement claiming the shooter was in custody, which was later retracted.

Kash Patel retracted false custody claim in Charlie Kirk shooting

Director Kash Patel initially claimed a shooter was in custody, which turned out to be false. Authorities later confirmed that Tyler Robinson was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt, only after his family turned him in.

On CNN’s 'The Source with Kaitlan Collins', anchor Kaitlan Collins pressed Haberman about Patel’s response and the confusion over his role in Utah. Collins also played a clip of Steve Bannon, who criticized Patel for rushing across the country.

Collins pointed out Patel had delivered “confusing messages” about whether a suspect was in custody or only a person of interest, contradicting other officials.

Maggie Haberman cites Republican frustration with Kash Patel's response

Haberman agreed with Collins and said there was widespread frustration over Patel’s approach.

“You have somebody like an FBI director who is very online, who comes from an online world and is pretty new to law enforcement from this side,” Haberman said.

She added, "And there is a lot of frustration among Republicans that I have heard, and with administration officials, that there was such a lag time in capturing this person who, as we said earlier, was not caught by law enforcement directly or by their work."

Notably besides Bannon, Christopher Rufo, an influential right-wing activist and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank also called for Patel's ouster while conservative commentator Erick Erickson agreed to Rufo's assertions. 

Kash Patel faced criticism from Steve Bannon and Christopher Rufo

Haberman went further, pointing to the timeline of Patel’s mistaken statements.

“A lot of time lapsed between the shooting and the first claim that there was somebody in custody, which was all over the internet," Haberman said.

She continued, "And then that wasn’t the person. Then Kash Patel posted on X, ‘We have the person in custody.’ And then two hours later it was actually, ‘That person is released.’ There is a reason that things like that don’t happen."

Haberman agreed with Bannon’s assessment: “Usually you see the FBI director kind of head down, trying to figure out what’s what, not flying around this way."