GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "News Hour."

Prosecutors in Utah have charged the man accused of shooting and killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk with aggravated murder, a crime punishable by death if convicted.

The suspect was arraigned in court late this afternoon.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, across the country on Capitol Hill, FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with Democratic senators on his handling of the Charlie Kirk investigation and on his leadership of the agency.

Our White House correspondent, Liz Landers, starts off our coverage tonight.

LIZ LANDERS: Tonight, the suspected kill of 31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk potentially faces the death penalty.

JEFFREY GRAY, Utah County, Utah, District Attorney: I do not take this decision lightly.

LIZ LANDERS: Local prosecutors charge 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder, a capital offense.

JEFFREY GRAY: Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one of our most sacred and cherished American rights, the bedrock of our democratic republic, the free exchange of ideas.

LIZ LANDERS: Robinson was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm punishable by life in prison, as well as other crimes, including obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

Law enforcement revealing new messages between the suspect and his roommate, both handwritten and over text, prosecutors reading them aloud.

JEFFREY GRAY: The roommate looked under the keyboard and found a note that stated -- quote -- "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it.

I had enough of his hatred.

Some hate can't be negotiated out."

SEN.

CHARLES GRASSLEY (R-IA): You affirm that the testimony you're about to give before this committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

LIZ LANDERS: All this comes as FBI Director Kash Patel today defended the investigation of Kirk's killing and his handling of the bureau's affairs in a fiery Senate hearing.

SEN.

CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): that tear this country apart.

KASH PATEL, FBI Director: It is my time to address your falsehoods.

(CROSSTALK) KASH PATEL: ... embarrassment to the division in this country.

SEN.

CORY BOOKER: You can try all you want to not take responsibility for what you have said.

(CROSSTALK) SEN.

CORY BOOKER: Sir, you're making a mockery of this committee.

KASH PATEL: You had your time.

Your time is over.

SEN.

CORY BOOKER: Sir, you don't tell me my time is over.

LIZ LANDERS: At particular issue was when Director Patel prematurely announced a suspect was in custody the night of Kirk's killing.

Patel posted less than two hours later that the person in custody had been released, and officials had to make clear that the gunman remained at large.

SEN.

RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL): Mr.

Patel was so anxious to take credit for finding Mr.

Kirk's assassin that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement.

At critical stages of an investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job.

KASH PATEL: I put that information out.

And then when we interviewed him, I put out the results of that.

And could I have been more careful in my verbiage and included a subject, instead of subject?

Sure, in the heat of the moment.

LIZ LANDERS: Before departing for a U.K.

state visit, President Trump said he has full faith in his FBI director.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: Kash, I thought -- if you look at -- take a look at what he did with respect to this horrible person that he just captured.

He did it in two days.

LIZ LANDERS: Patel today also faced questions about recently firing senior officials who have since sued him, accusing him of illegal political retribution, part of a broader personnel purge of the president's perceived enemies in law enforcement.

KASH PATEL: The only way people get terminated at the FBI is if they fail to meet the muster of the job and their duties.

And that is where I will leave it.

Those are allegations.

And that is an ongoing litigation.

So they will have their day in court, and so will we.

LIZ LANDERS: Patel has faced growing scrutiny over his leadership, taking criticism from skeptical Senate Democrats that he is the right person to help lower the national temperature in a time of heightened political violence.

SEN.

RICHARD DURBIN: Let's be clear, Republicans are not Nazis and Democrats are not evil, as Mr.

Patel has claimed.

LIZ LANDERS: But not all Democrats leveled criticism on the director.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar tried to connect by invoking recent deadly shootings in her state, the politically motivated assassination of Statehouse Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school that killed two young children.

KASH PATEL: Especially it relates to... LIZ LANDERS: In a moment of empathy, Patel vowed to work with Congress on gun violence prevention.

KASH PATEL: Minnesota has suffered untold tragedy in these last few months.

And whatever creativity we can use to eliminate even just one shooting, one horrific death, I am in favor of engaging with Congress fully to do.

SEN.

ERIC SCHMITT (R-MO): Don't give me this both sides.

LIZ LANDERS: Other senators turned up the temperature and pointed blame for political violence not on guns, but on ideology.

SEN.

ERIC SCHMITT: The facts are plain and clear, and we have to speak truth in this moment or there's no other side of the mountain.

The vast majority of Americans are against political violence, but there is a vocal active minority that encourages and celebrates it, and that minority is overwhelmingly on the left.

SEN.

CHARLES GRASSLEY: Senator Tillis.

LIZ LANDERS: The last word in the room from retiring Republican Thom Tillis begging both political parties to reflect on the rhetoric.

SEN.

THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I'm just saying that there are people out here on our side of the aisle that still need to look in the mirror.

LIZ LANDERS: Patel's hearing really covered a wide range of issues, but one theme that kept reemerging, violence in America.

He's trying to reassure both Democrats and Republicans that his agency is prepared to handle those challenges as it continues to investigate the Charlie Kirk murder.

Meanwhile, Patel will likely face another round of tough questions tomorrow up on Capitol Hill in the morning in the House Judiciary Committee -- Amna, Geoff.

AMNA NAWAZ: That's the debut report from the newest member of our "News Hour" family, White House correspondent Liz Landers.

Liz, we're so glad you're here.

GEOFF BENNETT: Liz, it's great to have you on the team, and not a moment too soon because there is no shortage of news to dig into.

So welcome.

LIZ LANDERS: I'm thrilled to be here and so excited to join the "News Hour" team.