Three months after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Justice Department is weighing whether to bring federal charges against the suspect, Tyler Robinson, potentially under a novel theory that the killing constituted an anti-Christian hate crime.

Robinson already faces multiple state charges in Utah, including aggravated murder, and prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

Some federal prosecutors have pushed back, arguing the case does not clearly fit existing federal statutes and that applying hate crime laws would be highly unusual.

Justice Department officials say the federal investigation remains ongoing, even as they express confidence in the strength of the state case, NBC News has reported.

Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent figure in the MAGA movement, was killed during an appearance at Utah Valley University, and the case is widely viewed as an act of domestic terrorism despite the lack of a specific federal terrorism statute.