The White House broke its silence Monday on the horrifying attack at a Mormon church in Michigan, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt finally addressing the massacre—only to reduce the motive to simple religious hatred and sidestep any discussion of gun laws or domestic terrorism.
Leavitt appeared on Fox & Friends, where she confirmed that the shooter, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, “hated” members of the Mormon faith—a detail she said was relayed to her by FBI Director Kash Patel.
“From what I understand, based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith,” Leavitt told viewers. “And they are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note.”
Sanford, a military veteran who lived about 15 minutes from the church, drove his truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township on Sunday morning, opened fire on congregants during worship, and set the building ablaze before being killed in a shootout with police. At least four people were murdered and eight more wounded.
The FBI, assisting in the investigation, has called the tragedy an act of “targeted violence,” stopping short of using terms like “terrorism” or “hate crime.” That hesitancy was mirrored by Leavitt, who avoided labeling Sanford a terrorist and offered no condemnation of his access to firearms despite his apparent intent to carry out mass murder.
In fact, Leavitt took a moment during the interview to praise Sanford’s military background—something that struck a nerve with critics expecting a tougher stance.
“He’s a homegrown kid who misses his family when he’s gone,” Sanford’s father had said before his son’s 2007 deployment to Iraq. “Jake’s going voluntarily and plans on returning to this community when his service is over. We are very proud of him.”
Leavitt leaned into that same tone Monday, noticeably refraining from calling for any form of gun control or reform—despite the killer’s use of military-style weapons in a house of worship.
She did, however, echo former President Donald Trump’s remarks, agreeing with his Sunday post on Truth Social that called the massacre “an attack on Christians.”
Leavitt called the shooting “unfathomable,” and told Fox News viewers: “I think the American people in your audience can be assured” that the FBI is doing everything it can to understand the killer’s motivations.
That includes executing multiple search warrants on properties linked to Sanford, a detail Leavitt shared publicly, citing her conversation with Patel.
“He assured me and the American public that the FBI is currently executing multiple search warrants at the residences and the family homes of this perpetrator to try to get to the bottom of why he would commit such an act of evil,” she said. “His family is cooperating with the FBI and so they are currently trying to dig in and get to the bottom of why he committed…this heinous act of violence.”
Still, the refusal to label Sanford as a terrorist—despite deliberately targeting a religious group and killing multiple people—stood out. The absence of any discussion on gun policy felt even more deafening.
Images from earlier this year show a Trump campaign sign outside Sanford’s Burton, Michigan home. While the state’s open primaries make it impossible to officially confirm his party affiliation, the symbolism—and timing—hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Yet Leavitt stayed firmly in the lane of “religious hatred” as motive, refusing to even touch the shooter’s political leanings or online activity. Patel’s FBI, already under fire for leaking sensitive details in recent high-profile cases, has also remained quiet on whether Sanford was involved in extremist forums or left behind a manifesto.
Patel, nicknamed “Keystone Kash” for his tendency to overshare and underperform, has recently faced backlash for his handling of the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk and last week’s ICE office shootout in Dallas. His credibility is under scrutiny—and this case isn’t helping.
Watch the full Fox & Friends segment below.
