By Olivia Rondeau | Breitbart News
Department of War (DOW) Secretary Pete Hegseth has denounced the military service members who made statements justifying or celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk, promising that they will be addressed “immediately.”
Numerous men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces took to social media shortly after the Turning Point USA founder was fatally shot in front of a crowd in Utah, including a Navy petty officer who posted a nasty video to his 1.5 million TikTok followers and an Army public affairs official who wrote, “if you talk sh*t, you’re gonna get hit.”
After Breitbart News and other outlets reported on several of the posts being made, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell called them “unacceptable”:
“It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American,” he wrote on X. “The Department of War has zero tolerance for it.”
Hegseth followed up with his own statement shortly thereafter:
“We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately,” the secretary said. “Completely unacceptable.”
Other public servants and notable people who have made light of Kirk’s tragic death include a Secret Service agent, a Democrat Florida city councilman, public school teachers, journalists, and doctors.
Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking to students at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 31 years old.
First published on Breitbart News
Pentagon announces ‘zero tolerance’ for military personnel mocking Charlie Kirk’s assassination
By Alex Nitzberg | Fox News
In the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Pentagon has made clear that celebration and mockery of an American’s assassination will not be tolerated within its ranks.
“It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American. The Department of War has zero tolerance for it,” Sean Parnell, assistant to the secretary of war for public affairs, chief Pentagon spokesman and senior advisor, declared in a post on X.
War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth shared Parnell’s post.
“We are tracking all these very closely — and will address immediately. Completely unacceptable,” he wrote.
Secretary of the Navy John Phelan warned that employees “will be dealt with swiftly and decisively” if they bring disrepute on the department, the Navy or the Marine Corps.
“I am aware of posts displaying contempt toward a fellow American who was assassinated. 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 declared in a post.
Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin responded to Phelan’s post by threatening to target Phelan for ouster if he does not swiftly stamp out any such behavior from the Navy.
“I will be explicitly clear with you, @SECNAV, if you do not take prompt, direct, and decisive action to clear the ranks of this s[—] from my Navy, I will do everything in my power to kick you to the curb. If your JAG’s have a problem with this, they can find a job somewhere else. Wearing a uniform is a privilege not a right. You will unf[—] this promptly,” he declared, signing his post as “SOCS (Ret) Van Orden.”
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink noted in a post, “The Department of the Air Force is aware of inappropriate comments concerning recent political violence. This behavior is unacceptable and contrary to our core values. Airmen and Guardians are expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and conduct at all times.”
“Posts that celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American are inconsistent with Army values. Full stop,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll declared in a post.
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