Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet stepped forward Monday with a bombshell disclosure, revealing on “The Charlie Kirk Show” that he personally handed former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent private text messages sent by the slain TPUSA founder in the days before his assassination.
Kirk was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University.
Tyler Robinson, 22, faces charges of aggravated murder and other offenses in connection with the killing. Prosecutors have announced plans to seek the death penalty in the case.
Kolvet confirmed he shared contents from a private group chat involving Kirk directly with Kent following the murder.
The messages later surfaced publicly through podcaster Candace Owens in October 2025.
“[I]n the immediate aftermath, I did provide the group chat to Joe Kent,” Kolvet stated on air.
“We don’t throw around accusations recklessly here … We think that’s keeping in the spirit of Charlie’s spirit and the way we choose to do things is we try and be responsible.”
Kolvet explained his reasoning for sharing the sensitive material with Kent, saying his team pursued every available avenue in the aftermath of the killing.
“So yes, in a spirit of looking at every lead, turning over every stone, we wanted everybody that needed to know to know anything that we knew,” he said.
The TPUSA spokesman stopped short of directly accusing Kent of leaking the messages to Owens, though he outlined a sequence of events that placed Kent at the center of the controversy.
Kolvet stated that Kent subsequently pushed him to make the texts available to the public.
“I was told I could trust Joe Kent,” Kolvet said. “I provided the screen grabs to Joe Kent. And I don’t know what happened to them at that point. I just want to make that very clear.”
Kolvet said he declined Kent’s suggestion to release the messages publicly, citing their private nature and the potential harm to others included in the group chat.
“But then fast forward another week or two, and they were made public,” Kolvet said.
“So that’s what I know, is that Joe suggested that they be made public. I declined. Then they were made public.”
Kolvet acknowledged uncertainty about who ultimately leaked the messages.
“Can I 100% categorically say that he leaked them? No. But those are the facts. Maybe somebody on his team. Maybe they got passed around. Maybe somebody else leaked them. But those are the facts of the matter, and that’s what I know,” he said.
Kolvet labeled the leak “an egregious breach.”
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“The Charlie Kirk Show” producer Blake Neff noted on the program that the release of the private texts set off a major conspiracy theory suggesting that Israel or Jewish individuals played a role in Kirk’s murder.
Both Kolvet and Neff stated they do not believe that theory.
The text messages Owens published in October included Kirk writing: “Just lost another huge Jewish donor. $2 million a year because we won’t cancel Tucker[.]”
The messages also referenced Daily Caller News Foundation co-founder Tucker Carlson and Owens herself, with Kirk writing: “I’m thinking about inviting Candace.”
Kirk also wrote in the messages: “Jewish donors play into all the stereotypes. I cannot and will not be bullied like this,” adding that the situation left him “no choice but to leave the pro Israel cause.”
Neff also noted during the broadcast that Kent had faced accusations of leaking classified information to unauthorized individuals.
Reports indicate the FBI opened an investigation into Kent over those alleged leaks.
Kent addressed the accusations Friday on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” denying any wrongdoing.
“As for the leak allegations, I’m not concerned because I know I did nothing wrong,” Kent said.
“Of course, I am concerned because we’ve all seen the FBI and the full way the government comes down on individuals who speak out. So that has been a little concerning, but I know the truth and the facts are on my side.”
