A former high-ranking FBI official criticized President Donald Trump's choice to lead the bureau Monday — and slammed his handling of the Charlie Kirk killing.

The 22-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting was arrested after a family member turned him in, and FBI Director Kash Patel has been revealing evidence in the case on Fox News as he defends the investigation. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told "CNN This Morning" that his approach stands out as unusual.

"I guess preliminarily what stands out to me is how much we know at this point," McCabe said. "It's really remarkable in the middle of an ongoing investigation of such momentous importance for the country. It's odd and unconventional that there have been this many releases of information, particularly from the FBI director, but essentially the basics of this case are very, very solid."

"You have an individual who was pretty clearly identified on fleeing the scene from those videos that we've all seen," he added. "You've got the murder weapon has been recovered. The towel that the murder weapon was wrapped in and a screwdriver found with the murder weapon. Both bear the DNA of the subject in custody, and now, of course, we've learned of this message that he apparently delivered in this very short period of time after being confronted by his family and right before being brought to law enforcement, he apparently got on his computer and sent a message to his friends on the application Discord and sent a message that essentially confesses to the crime. So the case seems very, very strong at this point."

But despite the solidity of the evidence, McCabe said Patel was making blunders that could weaken the case at trial.

"There shouldn't be a real difference between how [Attorney General] Pam Bondi and Kash Patel are handling those questions," he said. "I think Pam Bondi is doing it the right way. The difference in what we're seeing here from what we normally experience in mass shootings is that this case has to go to a prosecution. We have a subject in custody. The state of Utah, and possibly later the federal government, are preparing to bring cases to trial.

"So in that situation, you don't want to expose evidence outside of the context of the evidence you need to put forth in the indictment to receive the indictment. Now, we're going to see later today when he is officially charged in court, what evidence the prosecutors decide to reveal in the course of that legal filing. But typically you never discuss the evidence. You don't want to put anything in jeopardy."

"You don't want to give the defense a preview of your evidence before the trial, and you don't want to put this person on trial in the public," McCabe added. "It's a violation of their due process rights and can really cause you problems down the road. In a typical mass shooting case where the mass shooter commits suicide or is killed by law enforcement in or around the shooting, you don't have those same concerns because obviously there's no prosecution to follow."

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A pair of prominent psychologists have reignited concerns about President Donald Trump's health, suggesting his recent displays of symptoms indicate more than typical age-related decline. On their podcast "Shrinking Trump," John Gartner and Harry Segal argued that the 79-year-old president is exhibiting signs of "early dementia."

Gartner, a former Johns Hopkins University Medical School professor, highlighted recent — and frequently displayed — behavior, including falling asleep at high-profile events.

"You're at the finals of the U.S. Open, a riveting performance... you're the center of attention," he noted. "So how does Trump react? Oh, he's asleep again, just like he slept through most of the days of his criminal trial."

The psychologists pointed to multiple concerning physical symptoms. "Congestive heart failure is what typically causes swelling, you know, largely swollen ankles," said Segal, a Cornell University psychology professor. "I think he's not, I mean, he's not doing well."

Gartner was particularly critical of the White House's explanations for Trump's health issues. Regarding bruising on Trump's hands, he asserted, "They're obviously hiding the more serious problem. He's probably getting some kind of IV fluids."

The most alarming observation came during a 9/11 memorial event, where Trump appeared to have facial drooping. Segal emphasized, "When you see someone with half their face drooping like that, that's not just someone being tired, that's not a normal face. It's significant, and that's why I'm showing it, not just to make fun of him or to joke."

The White House pushed back with a statement from Rep. Ronny Jackson, Trump's former physician, who claimed, "President Donald J. Trump is the healthiest president this nation has ever seen. He is mentally and physically sharper than ever before."

Despite the official denial, public speculation has intensified. Google searches for "Is Trump dead?" skyrocketed after the president's four-day absence from public view, with "Trump is dead" briefly trending on social media platforms.

Just before midnight on Monday, Donald Trump jumped onto his Truth Social account and announced a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, a handful of reporters and book publisher Penguin Random House that both stunned and amused legal experts.

Trump led off with “Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party. “

“I view it as the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER. Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF! The ‘Times’ has engaged in a decades long method of lying about your Favorite President (ME!), my family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole,” he added.

“I am PROUD to hold this once respected “rag” responsible, as we are doing with the Fake News Networks such as our successful litigation against George Slopadopoulos/ABC/Disney, and 60 Minutes/CBS/Paramount, who knew that they were falsely “smearing” me through a highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration, which was, in effect, a malicious form of defamation, and thus, settled for record amounts. They practiced this longterm INTENT and pattern of abuse, which is both unacceptable and illegal,” he continued before adding, “The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW! The suit is being brought in the Great State of Florida. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Politico's Kyle Cheney pointed, "JUST IN: Trump launches a $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times — naming reporters Peter Baker, Michael Schmidt, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner — because he doesn't like what they have written/reported about him."

As for reactions, on Bluesky, attorney Ken White was taken aback by the over-the-top assertions by Trump’s three lawyers who made the filing in Florida, and wrote, “This is a stunningly pathological lawsuit even by Trumpian standards. It reads as if he was holding a gun to the head of the child of the lawyer drafting it.”

Conservative attorney George Conway joked, "Is it possible for a legal pleading to be psychotic? I think we have an answer."

NPR reporter Bobby Alllyn reported that the Times had preemptively responded, writing, “NYT attorney David McCraw told Trump lawyers before they sued that their legal claims amounted to ‘a litany of personal complaints’ about the NYT premised on ‘the deeply troubling notion that anyone who dares to report unfavorable facts about a presidential candidate is engaged in ‘sabotage’.”

California State Senator Scott Weiner (D) chipped in, “He’s not even pretending to have an actual defamation claim. He’s just mad they didn’t endorse him, to the tune of $15 billion.”

You can see Trump’s post here.