Secret Service Agent Placed on Leave Over Post About Charlie Kirk

A Secret Service agent has been placed on leave after his comments on social media following the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

“If you are mourning this guy .. delete me,” Anthony Pough wrote on Facebook following the Sept. 10 killing of Kirk at a university in Utah. “He spewed hate and racism on his show.”

Pough added later: “At the end of the day, you answer to GOD and speak things into existence. You can only circumvent karma, she doesn’t leave.”

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, confirmed in an email to The Epoch Times that the service was aware of the post.

“The U.S. Secret Service will not tolerate behavior that violates our code of conduct,” Guglielmi said. “This employee was immediately put on administrative leave, and an investigation has begun.”

Pough’s account was taken down or deleted. He could not be reached.

The Secret Service is a law enforcement agency that also helps protect high-level officials, including the president.

Kirk was shot dead during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. He had been debating with students.

Kirk is survived by his wife and their two children.

A suspect, Tyler Robinson, was identified and arrested, officials announced on Friday.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) had written to Secret Service Director Sean Curran on Sept. 11, calling for Pough’s termination.

“Your employee celebrated and attempted to justify a political assassination,” Blackburn wrote. “This conduct is inexcusable, and I urge you in the strongest possible terms to immediately terminate his employment.”

She cited how the service over the summer said that it understood the importance of accountability, in recognizing how agents failed to follow protocols leading up to the assassination attempt of President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania in 2024.

“Since President Trump appointed me as director of the United States Secret Service, I have kept my experience on July 13 top of mind, and the agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future,” Curran said at the time.

“Nothing is more important to the Secret Service than the safety and security of our protectees. As director, I am committed to ensuring our agency is fully equipped, resourced, and aligned to carry out our important mission each and every day.”

A number of people have been fired or otherwise disciplined for celebrating Kirk’s killing, including multiple employees at colleges.

Military officials said in a series of posts that they would take action against members who make inappropriate comments about Kirk’s death.

“It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American,” spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on X. “The Department of War has zero tolerance for it.”