War Secretary Pete Hegseth has instructed Pentagon officials to be on the lookout for members of the military celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk, so they can be punished.
In the wake of the 31-year-old conservative influencer’s murder Wednesday, online sleuths have uncovered numerous sick social media posts from public officials, teachers, professors and even members of the armed services ghoulishly cheering or mocking Kirk’s assassination.
“We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately,” Hegseth wrote on X Thursday. “Completely unacceptable.”
The war secretary’s post came in response to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell tweeting out that 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,” Parnell added.
Hegseth has reportedly ordered his staff to identify any military service members or persons associated with the War Department condoning the act of political violence so they can be fired, NBC News reported on Friday/
Several service members have already been terminated over such posts, according to the outlet.
The exact number of armed service members disciplined is unclear.
Since Kirk’s assassination, several X users have utilized the hashtag #RevolutionariesintheRanks to flag vile posts purportedly from military service members.
Kirk “got what he deserves period,” read one such post.
Another described the murder as Kirk being “held accountable” for his actions.
A Marine Corps recruiter was fired Thursday after posting an image of the influential Turning Point USA founder on Instagram with the caption: “Another racist man popped.”
“The Marine in question has been relieved of his recruiting duties, and the matter is currently under investigation.” Capt. Austin Gallegos told Task & Purpose.
Kirk, a husband and father of two young children, was shot dead by a sniper Wednesday as he hosted an event on the campus of Utah Valley University.
Authorities announced the arrest of the suspected gunman, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, on Friday.
