Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into the Discord messaging app after it was revealed that the alleged assassin of Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk used it before the shooting.
Paxton made the announcement in a post on X in which he said, “Discord has chosen to allow extremist content, sexual exploitation, and addiction to flourish on its platform.”
BREAKING: I'm investigating Discord after the platform was used by the reported assassin who murdered Charlie Kirk.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) October 9, 2025
Discord has chosen to allow extremist content, sexual exploitation, and addiction to flourish on its platform. pic.twitter.com/8e883kGqwc
Paxton is expanding the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act investigation to include Discord after reports suggesting the alleged assassin used the platform, according to a press release. He cited other reports noting that the platform is addictive and exposes minors to sexual exploitation.
“I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with the Trump Administration to root out and defeat nihilistic violent extremism in all its forms,” Paxton said.
The investigation “will examine the content on Discord’s platform and its role in contributing to the radicalization, sexual exploitation, and addiction of minors,” the press release explained.
Tyler Robinson, the suspected assassin, reportedly used the Discord app to communicate with his significant other hours before police arrested him. “It was me at UVU yesterday,” he allegedly wrote. “I’m sorry for all of this.”
Discord stated that it found no evidence that Robinson used the platform to plan the attack. But reports indicated he discussed hiding and possibly retrieving the rifle he used to carry out the attack.
This comes after Paxton announced on Tuesday that he was launching an undercover operation aimed at infiltrating and disrupting leftist “terror cells” in Texas. This was in response to an escalation into violent attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the broader trend of left-wing violence in America.
Discord came under scrutiny after white supremacists used it to plan the Charlottesville “United the Right” rally in 2017. The event resulted in the death of a counterprotester after an attendee rammed into her and others during the demonstration. The company pledged to reform its moderation practices to prevent extremism, according to The Washington Post.
Online radicalization is a growing problem in America. Extremists tend to use apps like Discord and others because it provides a level of privacy and anonymity for users. Companies have made efforts to monitor extremist content on their platforms, but they have not succeeded at rooting out each individual who might carry out an act of violence.