Bill Connor
Col Bill Connor (US Army, ret) is a distinguished graduate of the US Army War College. He is now an attorney and law firm owner and the recipient of South Carolina’s highest award, the Order of the Palmetto.
Last week Americans were able to see the evidence against Charlie Kirk’s alleged murderer, Tyler Robinson. The preliminary hearing for Robinson in Provo, Utah, allowed the prosecution to exhibit enough evidence for the judge to order a trial. Thankfully, this hearing was public and broadcast nationwide.
Before the hearing, podcasters like Candace Owens had pushed multiple conspiracy theories. For example, Owens claimed Tyler Robinson never set foot on the Utah Valley University campus where Kirk was killed. That lie, like so many, was shot down by videos of Robinson’s mother’s vehicle on video on campus. All the conspiracy theories involving Egypt, French Foreign Legion, Mossad, etc were disproved by the evidence. Regardless, several of the conspiracists doubled down. Owens claimed all those acknowledging the credibility of evidence were “Zionists.” (Direct accusation of Candace Owens, which includes even antisemite Nick Fuentes.) This level of conspiracism in the face of overwhelming evidence is seen in the third world, low-trust societies we are dangerously close to becoming.
First, it’s important to remember why we are here. Throughout the Obama administration, Americans saw various scandals (Fast and Furious, Lerner IRS scandal, Benghazi, etc) and gaslighting versus accountability. Obama and his CIA and FBI directors knew the Russian collusion smear against Trump was a Hillary Clinton campaign fraud scheme. Regardless, they gave the hoax credibility to undermine Trump when he took office. In 2020, Americans were fed lies about the Hunter Biden laptop, including by 51 senior intelligence officials signing the infamous letter (“all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation”), to secure Joe Biden’s election. In 2022, Elon Musk purchased Twitter and then exposed the Biden administration censorship of conservatives that officials and media had covered up. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Anthony Fauci and others pushed a bogus “wet market” theory of Covid origin to protect their involvement. This involved censoring and stigmatizing those asserting the Wuhan lab leak theory (which most scientists agree was the origin of the pandemic). The attempts of the Biden administration and media to gaslight about Joe Biden’s mental status were exposed during Biden’s disastrous and candidacy ending debate. Numerous “conspiracies” were proven to exist.
For the record, I wrote about the Wuhan lab leak as the origin of the pandemic from the beginning. I also called foul on the Hunter Biden laptop coverup immediately. I am not against questioning. However, the conspiracy theories with Kirk’s murder have reached the absurd. I watched the Tyler Robinson preliminary hearing. First, it is a lawyer’s top duty to zealously represent the client. Tyler Robinson has top lawyers who are defending his life, and they know about all the evidence available. They have lived this case for almost year, and Rule 5 of the Rules of Civil Procedure requires the prosecution to produce all their evidence to defense. Robinson’s lawyers know the evidence and are not even insinuating the conspiracy theories are true.
During the preliminary hearing, the prosecution produced overwhelming evidence against Robinson. This includes multiple confessions by Robinson as recounted by the most important person in Robinson's life, his trans lover Lance Twiggs. Additionally, Robinson’s own family turned him in to authorities. Confessions included text messages and a written confession left behind. Evidence at the prelim included videos of Tyler Robinson in the vehicle registered to him and his mother on the UVU campus the day of the murder multiple times. Despite Robinson living over 400 miles away and not being a student.
Multiple videos show Robinson walking around campus and taking steps to the roof. The screwdriver Robinson used to assemble/disassemble the murder weapon was found on the roof with his DNA (only a one in a trillion chance it was not Robinson’s DNA). The murder weapon was found wrapped in a towel with Robinson’s and Twiggs’ DNA. Multiple experts testified under oath, under penalty of perjury, that Kirk was killed by a bullet that would have come from the type of weapon used. Finally, reporters and podcasters and others at the hearing have reported that the judge allowed the playing of a “smoking gun” video. This video shows Robinson arriving on the roof, putting the rifle together, running to the edge, and taking the shot that killed Kirk.
Despite everything, the Owens conspiracists continue to insanely gaslight themselves and others.
When I deployed to third world countries in the Middle East and Afghanistan with the military, I remember being dumbfounded at the bizarre conspiracies and gaslighting in the face of reality. In Egypt, Kuwait, and Afghanistan I would read or listen to insane conspiracies, like Osama Bin Laden was working for either Mossad or the CIA. That Israel was responsible for almost every negative thing that happened in the Arab countries, even when it would have been impossible. Evidence to the contrary was seen, as with the Kirk conspiracies, as fake or part of the conspiracy. Because the governments and newspapers of those countries had lied so many times, the people lived in a fantasy world. That is unfortunately where many Americans are stuck are now. They feel they cannot believe anything.
The way back is for our national leaders and institutions to demand absolute unvarnished truth. As the Bible tells us, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32). We must know and handle the truth.
This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.
