Frank Turek Recalls Charlie Kirk's Final Moments and Confronts Three Months of Conspiracy Theories
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Frank Turek Recalls Charlie Kirk's Final Moments and Confronts Three Months of Conspiracy Theories
Frank Turek, Christian apologist and Charlie Kirk's mentor, shares his firsthand account of being in the car during Kirk's final moments on September 10, 2024. Three months after the assassination, Turek addresses the conspiracy theories proliferating online, particularly those from Candace Owens, and discusses how the conservative movement has fractured in Kirk's absence. Speaking with Dave Rubin, Turek reveals the emotional toll of false accusations while defending Kirk's legacy and vision for Turning Point USA.
Frank Turek, president of crossexamine.org and a prominent Christian apologist, had mentored Charlie Kirk for five and a half years before Kirk's assassination. Despite Kirk's exceptional intellect, Turek notes that Kirk's humility exceeded even his brilliance, making him eager to learn from anyone with knowledge to share. The two had spent the summer of 2024 together, with Turek making four trips to Phoenix to help Kirk prepare for an upcoming college tour.
On September 10, 2024, Turek was standing just 25 feet from Kirk when the fatal shot rang out. He had expressed concern about the venue's security earlier that day, telling Kirk there were too many surrounding buildings. Kirk, characteristically brave and committed to reaching people with his message, had shrugged off the concern. When the shooting occurred, Turek immediately joined the security team in the car, attempting to revive his friend and mentor.
According to Turek, doctors later confirmed that Kirk was killed instantly. The bullet entered his neck and likely hit his brain stem, meaning Kirk felt no pain. Despite attempts at CPR and briefly getting a pulse at the hospital due to Kirk's physical strength, Kirk had already passed. "He wasn't looking at me," Turek recalls. "He was looking right past me into eternity. His eyes were fixed."
The Conspiracy Theory Industrial Complex
Three months after Kirk's death, Turek addresses the flood of conspiracy theories that have emerged, particularly from Candace Owens. According to Turek, Owens has implicated numerous parties in Kirk's death, including Egyptians, Israelis, Trump, Turning Point USA itself, Mikey McCoy, Robert McCoy, and even the French. Turek argues that basic logic dictates most, if not all, of these theories must be false since they cannot all be simultaneously true.
The conspiracy theories have had real-world consequences. Turek himself was one of the first targets, with online speculation about "the guy in the white hat" suggesting he had signaled the shooter. The FBI even contacted Turek to investigate these claims. "They called me and they said, 'We're sorry we have to ask you this, but were you signaling the shooter?' I said, 'Yeah, I was telling them to steal second base.' I mean, it's the stupidest thing in the world, right?"
Turek emphasizes that there is strong evidence pointing to Tyler Robinson as the shooter, and that the proliferation of baseless theories has caused genuine harm. People involved with Kirk and Turning Point USA, including the gentle-spirited Mikey McCoy and Kirk's widow Erika, have received death threats based on these unfounded accusations.
Dave Rubin's Unexpected Connection to the Story
During their conversation, Turek revealed that when Kirk first contacted him five and a half years earlier, the first person Kirk mentioned when describing his organization was Candace Owens. Rubin then shared a surprising detail: he had introduced Owens to Kirk at a David Horowitz Freedom Center event at the Breakers in West Palm Beach. After a brief 10-minute conversation between Owens and Kirk, Owens returned to Rubin and announced she had just gotten a job with Turning Point.
Rubin expressed conflicted feelings about his role in connecting Owens with the organization, half-joking that he might have to answer for it when he meets his maker. He described Owens as "an enormous talent directed properly, but she's gone off the deep end." The irony of Owens now leading conspiracy theories about Kirk's death, implicating the very organization Rubin helped connect her with, was not lost on either man.
Charlie Kirk's Vision the Day Before His Death
Turek shared insights from a meeting he had with Kirk the day before the assassination. Josh Hammer participated via Zoom, along with colleagues in Israel. The meeting's purpose was for Kirk to better understand how to answer questions about the Israeli-Hamas conflict during campus events. This exemplified Kirk's characteristic approach: acknowledging what he didn't know and actively seeking knowledge from those who did.
According to Turek, Kirk had mentors across various fields and was constantly learning. "Charlie was a sponge," Turek explained. "He had humility and he knew that people knew things he didn't know and he wanted to know what those things were." This humility and genuine curiosity stood in stark contrast to the divisive narratives being spread about him after his death.
The Fractured Conservative Movement
Rubin raised concerns about how the conservative movement has fractured in the three months since Kirk's assassination. He specifically mentioned Tucker Carlson, whom Kirk considered a friend, ushering in Nick Fuentes—the one person Kirk explicitly did not want associated with the movement. Kirk had been actively trying to keep Fuentes out of what he was building, and Rubin noted Kirk's words about Fuentes were so vile he couldn't repeat them.
Turek attributes the division to malicious intent, stating bluntly that "this is coming from the pit of hell because Satan is a liar and a murderer." He referenced the Biblical proverb that says "One thing the Lord hates is when you stir up dissension among the brothers, especially when you don't have evidence." The release of Kirk's private text messages for political purposes and the fabrication of stories about his positions particularly disturbed both Turek and Rubin.
Despite the turmoil, Turek noted that Erika Kirk has shown remarkable strength, moving forward with Turning Point USA's mission while grieving. He recently saw her at a donor event at Mar-a-Lago, where she remained focused on what Charlie would have wanted: devotion to the Lord and the country.
Turning Point's Response to the Conspiracy Theories
When asked whether Turning Point USA should have handled the conspiracy theories differently, Turek acknowledged the difficulty of the situation. The organization initially treated Owens as a friend and reached out to her privately, hoping she would stop promoting unfounded theories. When she continued, they eventually released a video addressing and debunking some of her claims.
Blake Neff's statement explained that Turning Point had considered Owens a friend and thought she would eventually stop, but she persisted. The organization then invited her for a public discussion, which she declined despite previously saying "Name the time. Name the place." Turek questioned what else they could have done: "What are they to do? I don't know what else to do other than okay, let's talk about it. And then she doesn't want to talk about it."
Turek emphasized that he doesn't speak for Turning Point USA as he's not an employee, but rather a friend of the organization and the people involved. He expressed particular upset about attacks on Erika Kirk and Mikey McCoy, noting that accusations without evidence are not only irresponsible but dangerous.
The Absurdity of Baseless Accusations
To illustrate the problem with conspiracy theories lacking evidence, Turek offered a hypothetical scenario: "Imagine if we sat here and said, 'You know what? I think Candace Owens is the real murderer. I think she was upset that Charlie cut her out of the big events. I think that Candace Owens really decided to have Charlie killed and she was jealous of Erika and she's bringing all this up to cover her tracks.' Is that possible, Dave? Oh, that's possible. Do I have any evidence for it? No. And it would be ridiculous for me to suggest that without evidence, but that's what she's doing."
This comparison highlighted the fundamental problem with the conspiracy theories: possibility does not equal probability, and theories without evidence can implicate anyone for anything. The damage caused by such baseless speculation extends beyond hurt feelings to genuine safety concerns, with multiple people receiving threatening communications based on online conspiracy theories.
Honoring Charlie Kirk's Legacy
Rubin shared that he has tried to act more "Christlike" in handling Kirk's legacy, attempting to let his better angels guide him rather than participating in the fighting that has characterized much of the conservative movement since Kirk's death. He admitted to not always succeeding but expressed genuine effort to honor his friend's memory properly.
Turek agreed with this approach and noted that Kirk himself would be focused on unity rather than division, on evidence rather than speculation, and on the mission rather than personal grievances. The day before his death, Kirk was working to better understand complex issues so he could more effectively communicate with students on college campuses—a testament to his commitment to truth and education over partisan point-scoring.
As the interview concluded, both men acknowledged that much could change between the taping on December 10, 2024—exactly three months after Kirk's assassination—and when it would air. However, their commitment to honoring Kirk's memory through truth-telling and unity remained constant, even as conspiracy theories and division continued to swirl around them.
