ABC’s Matt Gutman Apologizes for Viral Report on Kirk Suspect’s ‘Touching’ Messages

ABC News chief national correspondent Matt Gutman apologized Wednesday after his on-air remarks about the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk triggered a furious backlash from Republicans and right-wing commentators.

Reporting on a press conference in Utah on Tuesday, Gutman described text messages allegedly sent by suspect Tyler Robinson to his partner as “very touching in a way that many of us didn’t expect.” The journalist went on to call the exchange “a very intimate portrait into this relationship” that he said highlighted the “duality” of the alleged killer, pointing to Robinson’s repeated messages referring to his partner as “my love.”

The framing quickly went viral and was met with outrage from critics who accused Gutman of romanticizing an accused killer and downplaying the murder of Kirk, who was shot dead on September 10.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) declared: “Legacy media in all its glory.”

Meanwhile Fox News host Will Cain ripped Gutman’s remarks as “fundamentally, irredeemably, broken.” Meghan McCain asked: “Is everyone @ABC out of their minds?!”

Facing mounting criticism, Gutman issued a statement on Wednesday morning seeking to clarify.

“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,” he wrote.

He added: “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.”

ABC News has yet to issue a formal response.

Watch above via ABC News.