Vance vows to probe groups on the left after Charlie Kirk's death

US V-P says left-wing rhetoric partly to blame, threatens to dismantle networks

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US Vice-President J.D. Vance pledged to probe left-leaning groups following the killing of Mr Charlie Kirk, amplifying efforts to memorialise the conservative activist and laying the groundwork for federally scrutinising political opponents, whom some administration officials and supporters have partly blamed for his death.

Mr Vance took the helm of Mr Kirk's show on Sept 15, hosting a two-hour broadcast from the Vice-President's Office in Washington.

He mixed tributes to the late activist and accusations that the death stemmed from the rhetoric of left-leaning and progressive groups.

"We have to talk about this incredibly destructive movement of left-wing extremism that has grown up over the last few years and I believe is part of the reason why Charlie was killed by an assassin's bullet. We're going to talk about how to dismantle that," Mr Vance said on the show.

"We're going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates and engages in violence," he later added, referring to nongovernmental organisations.

The authorities have not linked the killing directly to any political groups. Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, has said the suspect in the fatal shooting had a "leftist ideology", while also urging fellow leaders to lower the political temperature.