Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is warning civilian and military employees that the Pentagon is \u201ctracking\u201d any comments from them that celebrate or mock the Wednesday assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are tracking all these very closely \u2014 and will address, immediately. Completely unacceptable,\u201d Hegseth wrote Thursday on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hegseth was responding to a statement from chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, who earlier said it is \u201cunacceptable 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,\u201d using the Trump administration’s preferred name for the Department of Defense.<\/p>\n They did not mention any specific examples of personnel who had reacted positively to Kirk’s death.<\/p>\n Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck at the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday. After a search, officials identified the suspected shooter as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah man.<\/p>\n Both Republican and Democratic political figures \u2014 including all living former U.S. presidents \u2014 have condemned Kirk\u2019s assassination, but a small number of social media users have mocked or celebrated the killing, drawing outrage. <\/p>\n The heads of military services also have warned those under them that any inappropriate comments on Kirk will be met with retribution. Navy Secretary John Phelan cautioned sailors, Marines and civilians they \u201cwill be dealt with swiftly and decisively\u201d should they bring \u201cdiscredit\u201d on the department.<\/p>\n \u201cI am aware of posts displaying contempt toward a fellow American who was assassinated,\u201d he wrote on the social platform X<\/a> late Thursday. \u201cI 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 [U.S. Navy] or the [Marine Corps] <\/a>will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.\u201d<\/p>\n