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Pete Hegseth Says Military Will Track and Discipline Service Members Who Mock or Celebrate Kirk's Death

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  September 13, 2025 8:00 AM

Conservatives are pushing back against a slew of Leftists using social media to mock and praise the assassination of Charlie Kirk. A member of the Secret Service, Anthony Pough, wrote of Kirk's death on Facebook, saying, "You can't circumvent karma, she doesn’t leave." He was later placed on administrative leave.

In a post on X, Hegseth called such behavior from members of our military "completely unacceptable."

Hegseth's Chief Pentagon Spokesman & Senior Advisor Sean Parnell has "zero tolerance" for it.

Now, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is ordering staff to find and identify members of the military who do the same.

Here's more from NBC News:

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told staff to find and identify military members, and any individual associated with the Pentagon, who have mocked or appeared to condone Charlie Kirk’s murder so they can be punished, according to two defense officials. 

Several service members have been relieved of their jobs due to social media posts about Kirk, the officials said. 

Hegseth and other senior Pentagon leaders have posted on X calling on others to report any military members or Defense Department staffers who post anything that could be interpreted as unsympathetic toward Kirk’s death.

Dozens of service members and civilian Pentagon employees have been called out on X, with their posts about Kirk highlighted and collected under the hashtag #RevolutionariesintheRanks.

There are multiple examples of the kind of rhetoric being directed at Kirk and other conservatives. This includes Major Brian Harlow, who blamed the recent Colorado school shooting on Kirk and that Kirk would've caused harm "if he continued to live."

Harlow went on to incite violence against Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy.

One commenter on X objected to the move, saying, "Using military resources to police speech about a civilian political figure. This is exactly how democratic institutions get weaponized," and another saying, "Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth is deploying the thought police, ordering staff to track down anyone in the military who mocked or condoned Kirk’s murder."

Others were more supportive of the move, citing concerns about safety and trusting military members who applaud the murder of someone over his political views. Unlike civilians, the military has a code of conduct, and advocating for or celebrating someone's murder could violate that code of conduct or the Uniform Code of Military Justice.