Zach Costello Exposes Coordinated Campaign Against Candace Owens Over Charlie Kirk Investigation

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Zach Costello Exposes Coordinated Campaign Against Candace Owens Over Charlie Kirk Investigation

Zach Costello breaks down what he calls an unprecedented social media coordinated attack against Candace Owens following her investigation into Charlie Kirk's assassination. He examines leaked emails (possibly AI-generated) outlining talking points, analyzes emotional responses from Dan Bongino and Ben Shapiro invoking biblical scripture, and discusses Tyler Bowyer's claims about "international funding." Costello argues that the real issue isn't conservatism but Zionist ideology infiltrating American politics and institutions. He defends Candace's right to investigate, criticizes Erika Kirk's public role contradicting her previous statements about motherhood, and questions why no one at Turning Point USA has been held accountable for security failures. Costello positions this as a David versus Goliath moment, warning that rhetoric suggesting Candace will "get Erika killed" appears designed to justify future deplatforming.

February 24, 2026

The Coordinated Attack Unfolds

An alleged leaked email circulated on X with the subject line "Urgent: Shut down Candace's latest smear. Action needed tonight." The email outlined specific talking points, instructed users to call Candace Owens "evil" and "demonic," and directed a coordinated social media campaign complete with hashtags and account tags. While Zach Costello doesn't believe the email itself is authentic—several people claimed to have created it via AI—he argues the coordination it describes is absolutely real and happening across social media.

Candace Owens herself acknowledged this, thanking "Zionists" for promoting her upcoming investigative series about Charlie Kirk. Costello describes the social media environment as unlike anything he's seen before, with accounts he's never encountered suddenly flooding his feed with identical anti-Candace messaging. The language is remarkably uniform: she's demonic, vile, evil. He notes this mirrors exactly what the alleged fake email outlined, suggesting that while the specific document may be fabricated, it accurately represents what's actually occurring.

Accusations of Inciting Violence

A particularly concerning development involves multiple prominent figures suggesting that Candace Owens is trying to get Erika Kirk killed. Dan Bongino, Frank McCormack, and others have posted that Candace's rhetoric is "radicalizing unstable people" and that "it only takes one of them to pop off and create another tragedy." Costello views this as a dangerous rhetorical chess move—setting up a narrative so that if anything happens to anyone at Turning Point USA, it can be blamed on Candace and used to deplatform her completely.

He emphasizes that nobody criticizing Erika Kirk or following Candace's investigation is calling for violence whatsoever. The tone and rhetoric being deployed concerns him deeply, especially coming from people who position themselves as defenders of free speech and investigation. This appears to be preemptive groundwork for shutting down legitimate questions about what happened to Charlie Kirk and who bears responsibility.

Dan Bongino's Emotional Response

Costello played a clip from Dan Bongino that required muting multiple profanities. In it, Bongino tearfully defended Erika Kirk, arguing that she "didn't choose this" public life and describing her as a victim who discovered her husband was shot "for the entire world to see on social media." He condemned those sending critical messages to Erika in extremely harsh terms, saying they "deserve to feel the little licks of the flames of hell on every inch of your body" and that they're "not in" the afterlife he believes in.

Costello pushed back strongly on this narrative, pointing out that Erika Kirk absolutely did choose public life—not just after Charlie's death, but throughout her entire adult life as she attempted to become an influencer. He argues that Bongino's emotional display and inflammatory language about hell and damnation is itself more "demonic" than the legitimate questions people are raising. Nobody has seen Candace's investigative series yet, so the extreme reactions seem premature and coordinated rather than organic responses to actual content.

Ben Shapiro Invokes Scripture

Ben Shapiro also weighed in, calling Candace Owens "a true vampire when it comes to conservatism" who "grifts" off prominent people. He invoked Exodus 22, which instructs believers not to oppress widows or orphans, and stated that Erika Kirk should "sue the living hell out of Candace Owens." Shapiro criticized prominent conservatives who spoke at TPUSA's AmericaFest for their "wide and vast silence" in not condemning Candace, referencing his own December speech where he called out Megyn Kelly and others.

Costello appreciated Shapiro raising biblical text because it allowed him to present a more complete picture. He read from 1 Timothy 5:3-6, which discusses how Christian widows should conduct themselves—specifically that they should "set their hope on God and continue in supplications and prayers night and day," while warning that a widow "who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives." He noted that people always cite verses 3-5 but conveniently leave out verse 6. Christians are called to care for widows, but widows are also called to a specific vocation focused on their families and spiritual life, trusting that God will provide.

Erika Kirk's Contradictory Messages

A central concern involves Erika Kirk's own past statements about women, work, and motherhood. Costello played a clip where Erika, speaking alongside Charlie Kirk when he was alive, strongly advocated that women with children should not pursue careers simultaneously. She stated: "There is no such thing as balance. I can't spend half of the day doing one thing. I missed out half of that time with being with the kids. Your heart has to be fully with the home. You can always go back to work after your kids are in school or in high school, but if you miss those precious first few years, that is so hard to make up because memories are so much more important than an added paycheck."

This stands in stark contrast to Erika's current position as CEO of Turning Point USA, a role that presumably requires full-time work and travel. Costello argues that based Christian men and women have legitimate concerns because Erika preached traditional Christian values when married to Charlie but "threw those out the window" after his death. Many believe her primary vocation should be to her children, particularly given that she and Charlie were wealthy, and she has ownership stakes in multiple companies—she doesn't need to trade time for money. The criticism isn't about her being a widow; it's about the inconsistency between her stated values and her current choices.

Questions About Accountability at Turning Point USA

Costello raised serious questions about accountability within Turning Point USA following Charlie Kirk's assassination. As CEO, Erika Kirk has not held anyone accountable for how Charlie was treated in his final months—the Zionist donors who morally blackmailed him are all still donors. No one has been fired for security failures that contributed to the tragedy. He contrasted this with the response to the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the Secret Service director lost her job.

Specific failures included: event planners and security not double-checking roofs, relying on local police without following up (which Brian Harpole admitted), and ignoring warnings from UVU that an outdoor event couldn't be properly secured. Costello calls this incompetence and negligence, yet no one has faced consequences. He finds it particularly troubling that Erika seems more concerned about a Jezebel article from "weirdass witches" than about the Zionist donors who threatened that God's wrath would be taken out on Charlie.

The Zionist Influence Angle

Tyler Bowyer from Turning Point USA posted that attacks on the organization, Charlie, Erika, and his children are "supported by those with an agenda and in many cases funded by international sources." Costello found this ironic given TPUSA's own funding sources and noted the organization's recent shift toward endorsing "Zionist neocon candidates that aren't too popular amongst the American people."

He positioned one of America's greatest threats as "Zionist ideology that has infiltrated our politics, media, government, churches, and institutions." This is a core issue for him, and he argues that "you cannot be a Zionist and put America first. You cannot be a Christian and be a Zionist either. You're either putting Israel ahead of America or you're putting a Jewish ideology above Christianity." This perspective drives much of his support for Candace's investigation and his criticism of how TPUSA has evolved under Erika's leadership.

Who Has the "It Factor"?

A recurring theme in Costello's analysis is that Erika Kirk simply doesn't have what Charlie had. She doesn't have her finger on the pulse of the American people. She lacks the political influence and instincts that made Charlie invaluable. He provided a specific example: in June, Charlie went into President Trump's office and successfully argued against a military strike on Iran that Benjamin Netanyahu and others were pushing for. Charlie knew it would enrage Trump's base and young Americans, and he had the credibility with Trump to prevent what could have become World War III.

When Netanyahu visited America more recently, Erika wasn't in that position to provide similar counsel—she doesn't have Trump's ear in that way, and she doesn't have the organizational infrastructure that gave Charlie his unique influence. Tucker Carlson filled that role this time, advocating against military action, but Tucker doesn't have the structural backing of a nationwide youth organization. Costello argues that while Erika has "made it" as an influencer and will be Trump's preferred guest at the State of the Union, she achieved this by inheriting Charlie's platform rather than building influence through her own competence, as Candace Owens did (something even her critics like Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing acknowledge).

Costello's Personal Journey on These Issues

Costello shared how his own perspective evolved, particularly regarding Ben Shapiro. He described growing up listening to Shapiro and The DailyWire+, but after October 7th, he had to stop. He found Shapiro "emotionally unhinged" in his response, something his gut and pattern recognition told him was problematic. When Candace was still at The DailyWire+ and the conflict between her and Shapiro erupted, Candace told Ben he had been "emotionally unhinged for weeks." Costello completely agreed with that assessment and appreciated that she said it directly.

That moment marked a turning point where he shifted away from Shapiro and The DailyWire+ and began paying much closer attention to Candace. The crisis over her comments about Israel, her eventual firing, and her willingness to speak uncomfortable truths resonated with him. He now sees the Charlie Kirk assassination investigation and Zionist influence in American institutions as the two issues he cares most about, and Candace is leading the charge on the former while taking considerable heat for it.

The State of the Union and What's at Stake

The timing of all this is significant—Erika Kirk is attending the State of the Union as President Trump's special guest. For Costello, this represents the culmination of her trajectory: she's become "America's boss babe," the influencer she always wanted to be, but through inheritance rather than merit. He doesn't question her intelligence—she clearly made strategic choices—but questions whether those choices align with what Charlie advocated for or with the traditional Christian values she once espoused.

He frames the current moment as David versus Goliath, with Candace willing to face lawsuits and lawfare to find the truth about what happened to Charlie Kirk. The coordinated campaign against her, involving powerful media figures, major organizations, and what he sees as Zionist interests, represents the Goliath. The stakes are whether legitimate questions can be asked about security failures, donor influence, and organizational accountability, or whether the narrative will be controlled by those who benefit from shutting down such investigations.

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