A photo Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, sits at a vigil in his memory. (Pic credit: AP)
The US secret service has placed one of its employees on administrative leave after he posted inflammatory comments on social media about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Wednesday during an event in Utah.The employee, identified as Anthony Pough, shared a Facebook post on Thursday criticising those mourning the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA. Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University.
“If you are Mourning [sic] this guy .. delete me. He spewed hate and racism on his show,” Pough wrote, referencing a past Kirk clip where he accused Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and other leaders of being “affirmative action picks.”Pough went on to say that people should instead be grieving “the innocent children killed in Colorado,” citing a recent school shooting, before adding: “At the end of the day, you answer to GOD and speak things into existence. You can only circumvent karma, she doesnt [sic] leave.”
Secret service response
The post, first reported by RealClearPolitics, remained online for several hours and stirred backlash among fellow agency employees. By Thursday evening, the secret service confirmed disciplinary action had been taken.“The US secret service will not tolerate any behaviour which violates our code of conduct,” a spokesperson told The Post. “We are aware of the employee’s social media post from today, and the individual has been placed on administrative leave as we investigate the matter.”
