On Tuesday, ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman shared a report on the alleged text messages from the man accused of shooting Charlie Kirk and his roommate. Those comments went viral, and Gutman has since apologized.
In the report, Matt Gutman categorized the messages as “very touching in a way that many of us didn’t expect.”
“A very intimate portrait into this relationship 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,’” said Gutman. “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.”
The comments from Gutman drew the ire of many, including conservative political commentators, who argued that the statements made it appear as if Gutman was humanizing a murderer and trivializing Kirk’s death.
On Wednesday morning, Matt Gutman attempted to clarify those statements on social media.
“Yesterday I tried to underscore the jarring contrast between this cold-blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk – a man who dedicated his life to public dialogue – and the personal, disturbing texts read aloud by the Utah County Attorney at the press conference,” Gutman began.
“I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear. 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,” Gutman concluded.
ABC News has not yet released a statement on the subject.
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No excuse is good enough for saying that. That was deeply insensitive and horrible. Matt should be fired!!!! No discussion. No apologies. Just fire him.