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Rep. Angela Romero (D-UT), Is Interviewed About Charlie Kirk Being Killed In Her State; Trump Admin Seeks $58M Security Increase After Kirk Killing; Employers Punish Workers Accused Of Celebrating Kirk's Death. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired September 15, 2025 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[11:01:37]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, new details are emerging about the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk, the DNA evidence that investigators just revealed.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown and you're in The Situation Room.

Right now we're learning more about the case against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah man charged with murdering conservative activist, Charlie Kirk. This morning the FBI announced that DNA evidence links him to the recovered murder weapon.

BROWN: We're told that Robinson is not cooperating with investigators but that his roommate is. And FBI Director Kash Patel says Robinson may have been driven by hatred of Kirk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: His family has collectively told investigators that he subscribed to left wing ideology and even more so in these last couple of years. And he had a text message exchange, he, the suspect with another individual in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Kirk's death has certainly both Republicans and Democrats condemning political violence here in the United States. Joining us now is the Democratic leader in the Utah State House, Angela Romero. Angela, thanks so much for joining us.

BROWN: Yes, thank you, Representative, for your time.

REP. ANGELA ROMERO (D-UT), DEMOCRATIC LEADER, UTAH STATE HOUSE: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: I know how busy you have been since this. So tell us first off, what are the conversations with your Republican colleagues in the legislature and Governor Spencer Cox been like since Kirk was killed just 40 miles down the road from you?

ROMERO: As the nation has heard Governor Cox talk about putting differences aside and coming together. I've had similar conversations with the speaker. And so we here in Utah take that seriously and are going to work together. But that doesn't mean we don't have difficult conversations. I think it's important to have those conversations.

BROWN: And what do those difficult conversations look like?

ROMERO: Well, it means that if I don't agree with someone, it doesn't mean that I'm silent. And so I think as we continue these conversations, there's -- when we're talking about issues that are political, we shouldn't have to back away. But it's how you address it like you're not going to see me on social media degrading my colleagues or degrading what they believe in. But at the same time, when we have discussions about hot topics, when -- whether it comes to DEI, whether it's talking about health care, whether it's talking about the economy, I think it's important that we're having those honest conversations.

BLITZER: And I know, Angela, that both you and the Republican House speaker in Utah have condemned political violence here in the U.S. Are you considering any sort of legislative response to prevent something like this killing from happening again?

ROMERO: We haven't had that conversation yet. We have interim meetings this week, and so those are conversations we're going to have. I've had some of my Republican colleagues reach out to me because some of us have been receiving intimidating phone calls or -- or messages, e- mails, because we're being blamed for the murder of Charlie Kirk.

[11:05:11]

I didn't know who Charlie Kirk was really, prior to this happening. And so it's -- it's been a real eye opener for me because I want to talk about gun control, that I'm being blamed for someone's death.

BROWN: Yes, because there was that voicemail, right, just one day after the shooting, your caucus received that threatening voicemail calling state Democrats, quote, murderous terrorist animals. Tell us more about the threats you've received since then. Just like the overall threat landscape for politicians, I mean, it's impacting politicians across the political spectrum.

ROMERO: Yes, I mean, I run a lot of legislation on sexual violence, so I'm used to getting threatening phone calls. And I hate to say that majority of those phone calls are coming from men. And this particular call, out of all the calls we received, it's not like we've had a lot of phone calls, but out of the phone calls we received, this particular individual decided to call up almost every Democrat and the Democratic Party and just call us names and tell us to move out of the state of Utah.

And it was the tone of his voice that was really frightening because we have families, just like Charlie Kirk does. All of us are here because we want to serve the public. We want to do the best for Utahns. We want to make sure that our families feel safe as well. And a lot of people didn't even want me to come on the news today because they -- they were afraid of the phone calls I'll get after this. And that's sad.

BLITZER: Well, how concerned are you, Angela, about you and your colleagues, for that matter, about your personal safety?

ROMERO: This is a conversation we're going to continue to have. We've seen this personal safety concern with some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle when we're talking about issues that we may not agree on, and -- and definitely issues that I vote against here in the legislature. But this is a conversation myself and Senator Escamilla, who is the minority leader of the Senate, have been talking about with our public safety and looking at maybe an appropriation request to make sure we're being safe and secure.

BROWN: All right, I think we just. We just lost you. Utah State Representative Angela Romero, thank you.

BLITZER: And there's other news unfolding this morning. A Republican aide tells CNN that the White House has requested 58, yes, $58 million in new security funding for the executive and judicial branches of the federal government. CNN's Arlette Saenz is up on Capitol Hill right now. Arlette, let what are you learning this morning about all of this?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, there is certainly heightened concern in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing about security not just for members of the executive branch, but also for lawmakers up here on Capitol Hill. Now, the White House did issue that request for Congress to approve an additional $58 million in security funding for the executive branch and judicial branch.

We're still learning to work more -- learn more about what exactly that would towards. But up here on Capitol Hill, there's a lot of consternation among members of Congress about the security that they're receiving. There are some who want to see enhanced security measures and funding for when they are back home in their home states or traveling on the road.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he is trying to calm the nerves of lawmakers on the Hill and also saying that they are looking at all options for security. But there are some rank and file lawmakers who believe that leadership is not doing enough. Here is one Republican congressman from Tennessee who had that concern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): Something like this happens, we'll put -- we will pour on the security. You'll see them, you know, checking cars, checking people, checking folks coming in the building. And then it lacks off. That's the problem. That's where the gaps are. And we've got to -- we've got to be vigilant 24 /. And unfortunately, we're not.

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SAENZ: Now, there were already concerns about member security after the assassination of that Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker back in June. That really sparked a lot of conversations up here on the Hill about additional funding for security measures. And there are actually some pilot programs already under the way for both members of the House and the Senate to figure out what it could cost and what security details might look like for these members when they're back home.

BLITZER: All right, Arlette Saenz, up on Capitol Hill watching this very, very important development. Thank you very, very much.

Also new this morning, two people are in custody right now after a bomb was found under a local "Fox" T.V. News van in Salt Lake City, according to local CNN affiliate KUTV. Investigators say the device, quote, had been lit but failed to function as designed. It was found yesterday, two days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Orem, Utah, about 45 minutes away. FBI agents and local bomb squads converged on a home just outside Salt Lake where the two suspects were arrested. Authorities say more explosives, guns and illegal drugs were found there.

[11:10:21]

BROWN: Well, some of the nation's most prominent companies are suspending or even firing employees that they accuse of celebrating Charlie Kirk's killing. An online campaign is spotlighting the comments and calling on employers to punish the offenders. CNN's Brian Todd is here in The Situation Room. You've been looking into this, Brian. What more can you tell us about this campaign?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, this really speaks to this campaign, speaks to the anger and the frustration, the raw nerves over Charlie Kirk's death that are really playing out on social media. Some social media posts about the murder of Charlie Kirk, including some post celebrating his death, are being spotlighted now by conservative activists, by Republican elected officials and by at least one website, part of a campaign to punish people for their posts about Charlie Kirk's death.

We can tell you that far right influencer Laura Loomer, one U.S. senator and a website called Expose Charlie's Murderers have drawn attention to people who have made social media posts about Kirk's assassination. Just this weekend, Exposed Charlie's Murderers, which says it is not a doxxing website, claimed to have received about 30,000 submissions -- submissions again highlighting people who posted messages about Kirk's death, many of them celebrating his death.

Laura Loomer, just hours after Kirk died, posted on X this, quote, I will be spending my night making everyone I find online who celebrates his death famous. So prepare to have your whole future professional aspirations ruined if you are sick enough to celebrate his death. Now, CNN was unable to reach Laura Loomer for comment about that and about this campaign, but we can tell you that in many cases this campaign is working. Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said that one Middle Tennessee State University employee should be removed after they posted online that they had, quote, zero sympathy for Kirk's death. The university confirmed that employee was fired. Also, we have a graphic showing you that some private companies, including Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steak Burgers and the Carolina Panthers football team, have also fired employees for their social media posts about Charlie Kirk's death.

In addition to Delta Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines say they have suspended workers for their social media posts about Kirk's death. Now, one person who monitors this kind of thing, Laura Edelson. She's an assistant professor at Northeastern University. She's also the director of the cybersecurity and Democracy Project, Pamela, she said, quote, it is absolutely fair to call this a coordinated campaign. She called it a harassment campaign.

BROWN: So these aren't just anonymous keyboard warriors who are being called out, right?

TODD: No, no. There are some well-known people who have been called out for their posts and who have removed. Matthew Dowd, a senior political analyst with "MSNBC," was fired after saying that Kirk's rhetoric might have contributed to his shooting. CNN has reached out to Matthew Dowd for comment. But on Substack, Matthew Dowd said that the, quote, right wing media mob had attacked him on several platforms.

Also, the Red Hood comic book series was canceled by DC Comics after its author, Gretchen Felker-Martin, had made comments about Kirk's death on social media. So this, according to one analyst who monitors these things objectively, this is a coordinated campaign. They're looking for people who are posting things about Charlie Kirk's death, especially people who've posted things either celebrating his death or saying, you know, saying things like that. And they're trying to get them in trouble, trying to get them fired. And in many cases it is working.

BROWN: All right, Brian Todd, thanks so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: And still ahead, President Trump says he's ready to put, quote, major sanctions. That's a direct quote on Russia, but only if NATO nations agree to his demands. What he's asking of the U.S. Allies, we have details.

[11:14:04]

BROWN: And bracing for the National Guard, Trump says he's preparing to send the troops to Memphis against the mayor's wishes. Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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BROWN: Happening now. President Trump issuing a blunt ultimatum to U.S. Allies. He says he's ready to impose major sanctions on Russia, but only if ration -- nations stop buying Russian oil. Moscow said last week that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are going nowhere. Russia is also facing a backlash after some of its drones were shot down in Poland and others entered Romanian airspace. And this weekend, Ukrainian forces targeted Russian oil refineries and drone attacks. CNN chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, is here with us. So, Jeff, are NATO countries likely to fall in line with Trump's demands?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, in a word, they are not. That's why the assertion from President Trump over the weekend that he will apply sanctions if NATO countries do really is going nowhere. And it's really just the latest example in a several months long string of the president sort of making veiled threats about Russia and then nothing happens. It's been exactly a month since Vladimir Putin and President Trump came together for their Alaska summit.

But the reason that all NATO countries, 32 countries, are not inclined to do this because some are basically Russian allies as well. Hungary, Slovakia, they get a lot of -- Slovenia, excuse me, they get a lot of oil from Russia as well as Turkey. But that is why all NATO countries will not do it. But President Trump, as he was flying back to Washington from a weekend in New York and New Jersey, said this about NATO.

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[11:20:18]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: NATO has to get together. Europe has to get together and do it. Look, Europe is, they're my friends, but they're buying oil from Russia. So we can't be expected to be the only ones that are, you know, full -- full bore. But Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don't want them to buy oil. And the sanctions that are putting -- that they're putting on are not tough enough. And I'm willing to do sanctions, but they're going to have toughen up their sanctions commensurate with what I'm doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So when you string together all of the comments that President Trump has made about sanctions, I mean, it was only a few months ago talking about secondary sanctions with Vladimir Putin, talking about his disappointment with Putin now by saying that he will do it if NATO countries do it, is trying to sort of remove some pressure from him and look like he's acting.

But Pamela, the bottom line is after Alaska, the White House was insistent that there would be a joint meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. That has not happened. In fact, Russia has gotten more bold here. So the weekend threat to do sanctions if NATO does effectively is not going to happen.

BROWN: There you go. Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much.

ZELENY: Sure.

BROWN: Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Pamela. Also happening now, President Trump is warning Washington, D.C. that he will call a national emergency once again in the nation's capital if local police do not cooperate with immigration enforcement. He said this, and I'm quoting him now, if I allowed this to happen, crime would come roaring back to the people and businesses of Washington, D.C. don't worry, I am with you and won't allow this to happen. I'll call a national emergency and federalize if necessary, end quote.

All this comes as Memphis, Tennessee is bracing for the potential arrival of the National Guard after the President said that city is his next target. The mayor there tells CNN he isn't happy about Trump's comments. Listen.

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MAYOR PAUL YOUNG (D), MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: I'm certainly not happy about the National Guard. I am looking forward to trying to find ways to invest in the things that we're already to address crime in our city. At the end of the day, my goal is to make sure that if they are coming here, which we now know they are, that we are able to drive how they engage in our city.

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BLITZER: And with us right now is J. Ford Canale. He's the chairman of the Memphis City Council. Mayor Young also said he didn't hear about the deployment until the President said it in a T.V. interview. What's the latest that you know about the possible timeline for the federal troops emerging in your city?

J. FORD CANALE, CHAIRMAN, MEMPHIS CITY COUNCIL: Yes, Wolf, we don't have a timeline yet as to when they're coming, but we do know that they are coming. So at this point, it's not a matter of back and forth of whether they should or shouldn't come. I think it's incumbent upon all of us to make sure that the situation is as successful as it can be and that the collaboration is strong between the National Guard and whoever the federal government sends and our local and state agencies state to make sure that they work together to create the best possible outcome for all the citizens of Memphis.

BLITZER: Chairman, do you buy the President's explanation that his potential deployment of these U.S. National Guard troops in Memphis is about combating crime?

CANALE: Wolf, I think that the National Guard is a short term solution. And let's be honest, these guys, these men and women, have jobs and families just like we do, and they would probably rather not be here as well. What we're focused on as the legislators for the city of Memphis is long term solutions. So what we would welcome is more federal agents, federal prosecutors, those that can help us get the violent criminals and drugs off of our streets.

BLITZER: Your Republican governor, Bill Lee, has indicated he's cooperating with President Trump's move. The city was already in discussions to get more law enforcement assistance. Do you want more help from the state?

CANALE: Yes. And we appreciate Governor Lee and his sending more THP officers to the city of Memphis. They can help relieve some of the pressure from MPD, especially with the lawlessness that we've had on our roadways, most importantly our interstate system. So we do appreciate the governor sending more THP officers here to help relieve some of the stress of an overworked MPD.

BLITZER: As you know, Chairman, the mayor of your county called the deployment a threat to democracy. Do you see it that way?

CANALE: I do not. I see it as a, again, a short term solution. But also with -- you have -- our city mayor, Mayor Paul Young, and this legislative body with real interest in working together at this point to create the best possible outcome. Look, we all love Memphis. We chose Memphis to be the best that it can be. We understand that we have some issues and we want to solve them together. And that's what we'll do. We'll work together to solve this.

[11:25:19]

BLITZER: All right. The Memphis City Council chairman, J. Ford Canale, good luck to you. Good luck to all the folks in Memphis. Thanks very much for joining us.

CANALE: Thank you, Wolf. Thank you, Wolf. I'd like to also extend an invitation to you to come experience our great city anytime you have a chance.

BLITZER: I will be accepting that invitation. I love Memphis. Thanks very much.

CANALE: I'd love to show you around.

BLITZER: All right, thank you. Pamela?

BROWN: All right. Still ahead in The Situation Room, major changes could be coming to COVID vaccine recommendations, but health officials are considering coming up in The Situation Room.

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