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ABC News's star reporter Matt Gutman has issued an apology for describing texts sent by Charlie Kirk's suspected murderer as 'very touching.'
Posting on X Wednesday, Gutman said: '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.
'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,' he concluded.
It is unclear if Gutman issued the statement of his own volition or if he was asked to apologize by ABC News bosses.
On Tuesday, Gutman was covering recently released texts between suspect Tyler Robinson, 22, and his transgender partner when he called the exchange '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,"' Gutman said.
'So, it was this duality of someone who the attorney said not only jeopardized the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd... And then on the other hand, he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner.'
Critics immediately seized on the comments, after the text exchange was released by law enforcement Tuesday.
Sen. John Kennedy, on Fox News, said of Gutman's analysis: 'Once again, some people needs a shock collar.
'Touching?' The guy just murdered another human being. And he is talking about it to his love interest,' the senator said on 'The Ingraham Angle.'
'I mean it reminded me of something my dog would bring up. Touching? The guy murdered a human being.'
Newsmax host Rob Carson wrote on X: 'This just in: ABC's Matt Gutman read some notes between Jeffrey Dahmer and one of his victims before he killed and ate him. "They were quite touching."'
Several called for Gutman's firing, such as Fox News's Joe Concha, Meghan McCain, and many more on X.
MSNBC took such measures last Wednesday when political analyst Matthew Dowd said it was Kirk's 'hateful words' that got him killed.
The conservative had been fatally shot during a debate event at Utah Valley University in Orem less than an hour before.
His suspected assassin, Robinson, appeared in court Tuesday after being turned in by his father.
Texts simultaneously released by law enforcement offered insight into the suspected shooter's motive.
In a text to his roommate after the murder, Robinson allegedly said of Kirk: 'I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out.'
Another saw Robinson state how his father 'has been pretty die-hard MAGA' since President Trump had been re-elected.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Sunday said that Robinson comes from a conservative family but that 'his ideology was very different than his family.'
The Daily Mail has contacted to ABC for comment.
Previously, Gutman, 47, was suspended in early 2020 for incorrectly reporting that all four of late NBA star Kobe Bryant's children died in a 2020 Calabasas helicopter crash.
He was suspended again in February 2021 for flouting Disney COVID-19 policies by visiting an LA hospital without ABC News execs' permission to vet out a story.
He was named ABC News' Chief National Correspondent in January 2018.