Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is tracking those service members and civilian employees who may be mocking or celebrating the killing of Charlie Kirk.
Hegseth’s post on social media Thursday night was one of several posts made across branches of the military in the aftermath of Kirk’s killing, allegedly at the hands of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson on Wednesday.
“We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately. Completely unacceptable,” Hegseth said in the post, responding to chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, who earlier posted it was “unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American.”
Kirk, 31, the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
It’s unclear how many, if any, troops or Pentagon civilian employees made light of Kirk’s assassination or have been disciplined because of it, but social media has been rife with posts from rank-and-file Americans celebrating his death. There have been several reports of people getting fired from jobs over insensitive remarks.
Secretary of the Navy John Phelan posted late Thursday that he was “aware of posts displaying contempt toward” Kirk.
“I want to be very clear: any uniformed or civilian employee of the Department of the Navy who acts in a manner that brings discredit upon the Department, the @USNavy or the @USMC will be dealt with swiftly and decisively,” he posted to X.
The U.S. Coast Guard made a similar post on X: "The U.S. Coast Guard is aware of inappropriate personal social media activity made by a member regarding recent political violence. That social media activity is contrary to our core values. With the support of DHS, we are actively investigating this activity and will take appropriate action to hold the individual accountable.”
All living former U.S. presidents have condemned Kirk’s assassination, The Hill reported.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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