Secret Service Found No Credible Threats Tied to Erika Kirk Skipping JD Vance's Turning Point USA Event - REPORT

The U.S. Secret Service found no credible threats against Erika Kirk tied to the Turning Point USA event with Vice President JD Vance at the University of Georgia, although Charlie Kirk's widow and the organization had said that was the reason for her absence.

According to CBS, federal authorities were "not tracking any specific or credible threats" connected to the site, even though Kirk cited security concerns and advice from her own team.

The event, held Tuesday night in Athens, moved forward without Erika Kirk. Onstage, Vance acknowledged the disruption and told the crowd he had considered whether the event might need to be called off.

"I know that she did get some threats," Vance said. "I was a little worried that we were going to have to cancel the event because Erika was not going to come, and she was very worried about it."

Later, she posted on social media: "I was so looking forward to tonight's event at the University of Georgia with our Vice President JD Vance, but after all our family has been through, I take my security team's recommendations extremely seriously. Thank you to our amazing Georgia chapter for your support. God bless you."

The event itself appeared to fall short of the kind of energy Turning Point usually tries to project. In videos posted to social media, the arena looked sparsely filled, and the reception was tepid at moments and belligerent at others, a striking backdrop for a vice president speaking to what should have been friendly territory.

Outside, several hundred protesters gathered near the venue, according to local coverage, underscoring how politically charged the stop had become.

The controversy quickly widened after Candace Owens publicly challenged the explanation for Kirk's absence. Owens wrote on X, "This is exhausting," then added, "You pulled out because of bad ticket sales... Were there actually a viable threat, the Vice President would not have continued the event." Videos from inside the arena showing noticeable empty seating fueled that narrative online.

CBS' follow-up reporting complicated that picture. The outlet reported that while Kirk may have received hostile or threatening messages, including on social media, those messages were "not part of any identified or actionable threat stream monitored by federal authorities."

The same report said the site was considered secure and there were "no known threats to the protectee," meaning Vance.

Immediately, Owens doubled down this afternoon on the accusations that both Erika Kirk and Turning Point USA had lied about the reason for her absence at the University of Georgia event.