Get ready for a media specialty -- the I'm Sorry You Misunderstood Me apology.
Yesterday, as I covered in the Final Word and David did at length this morning, ABC News reporter Matt Gutman offered his take on the assassin who killed Charlie Kirk. Gutman felt compelled to share his emotional response to the supposedly "touching" messages Tyler Robinson wrote to his "love." Gutman waxed philosophical about the "duality" this supposedly represented, while being sure to mention how "lovingly" Robinson addressed his "partner."
DISGUSTING: ABC’s Matt Gutman says he’s not sure “if we have seen an alleged murder with such specific text messages” that were “very touching, in a way, that I think many of us didn’t expect — a very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the… pic.twitter.com/ulPcxoOwM3
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 16, 2025
... between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, who is transitioning, calling him ‘my love.’ And ‘I want to protect you, my love.’”
“So, it was this duality of someone who the attorney said not only jeopardized the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd, but was doing it in front of children, which is one of the aggravating circumstances of this case. And then, on the other hand, he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner. So a very interesting and, as Pierre said, riveting press conference.”
I'm sorry, but why would anyone care about Gutman's feelings? Wasn't he there to report? Even beyond that, though, the idea that Robinson's "duality" was important enough to eclipse his gutless assassination to any extent is absurd, especially after actually reading the "loving" texts. Literally, there were only three brief expressions of affection ("my love," "love") in the entire exchange, all of them just terms of endearment. Robinson expressed far more concern over losing his grandfather's rifle than he did over his lover, and much more interest in getting "my love" to delete the texts and help him cover up the crime.
By this morning, Gutman had to answer an avalanche of ridicule. He offered up the classic "Sorry You Misunderstood Me" response that shifted the blame to his audience:
2. I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear.
— Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanABC) September 17, 2025
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.
In the first place, there was no "jarring contrast." Read all the texts for yourself and see just how much of a love letter it sounds like to you. Second, contrary to Gutman's claims, there is nothing in these texts that say, "My reason for doing this is to protect you." Robinson did say that he was "sorry to involve you," and later "you are all I worry about love," but no mention at all about protecting his 'partner.' Either Gutman has information he didn't release, or he's reading far more into these texts in an attempt to romanticize a political assassin.
And unfortunately, Gutman is hardly alone in that effort:
Liberal reporters gushed over Tyler Robinson’s texts confessing to his transgender lover that he killed Charlie Kirk, describing the messages as "touching," "wrenching," and full of "affection." ...
MSNBC anchor Katy Tur and legal correspondent Lisa Rubin expressed similar sentiments.
"You can see even in the exchanges described with the family and the exchange that they posted between the roommate and Robinson, there was affection there," Tur said.
"When we talk about, though, the family of Tyler Robinson and his partner, you can see how wrenching this must have been for his parents and his roommate in their communications here," Rubin responded, though she acknowledged that the Kirk family suffered the greatest loss.
Montel Williams tried romanticizing it last night on CNN, and Scott Jennings shut it down fast:
.@ScottJenningsKY SHUTS DOWN insane CNN panel’s wild gaslighting about Tyler Robinson’s motive — including Montel Williams calling him a “love-torn child."
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) September 17, 2025
JENNINGS: "Guys. GUYS. The evidence here is overwhelming.”
"He was motivated by HATE. He was motivated by left wing… pic.twitter.com/pqlkNGwC2w
A "love-torn child"? Are you freaking kidding me?
David will have more on this later, but for now, it sure seems like the Left wants to see more "love-torn" children to come out of the woodwork. Why else would they romanticize assassins like Robinson and Luigi Mangione?
We are owed a lot of apologies today. And Gutman's doesn't cut it, at all.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives. And now they're attempting to foment violence by romanticizing murderers.
Help us continue to expose their left-wing bias by reading news you can trust. Join Hot Air VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member