Pentagon suspends Army colonel over post celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death

WASHINGTON, DC: The Pentagon has suspended Army Colonel Scott Stephens after he publicly celebrated the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

An Army spokesperson confirmed the suspension and stated that officials have launched an investigation into Stephens’ conduct.

Kirk was fatally shot in the neck by a single bullet on September 10, while speaking at Utah Valley University during his 'American Comeback Tour.' The event drew a crowd of over 3,000 people.

What did Colonel Scott Stephens post about Charlie Kirk?

According to viral retweets circulating on the platform, Stephens commented on Kirk’s death by writing, “The death of Charlie Kirk in Utah was tragic. However, we can take comfort in the fact that Charlie was doing what he loved best — spreading hate, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and transphobia on college campuses.”

He continued, “I would offer empathy, but Charlie hated empathy. As we have been told in the wake of so many other tragedies, we have to move on. We can’t make this political."

Who is Colonel Scott Stephens?

Colonel Scott Stephens, formerly the commander of the 1st Battalion, 4th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade, has publicly positioned himself as a vocal advocate against sexual assault within the Army. In a 2021 interview with 'Task & Purpose', Stephens admitted that he had once contributed to the culture of silence surrounding sexual assault and its cover-ups in the military.

“I’ve been guilty my whole life,” he said, reflecting on his past. “And I’d say within the last couple of years I’ve sort of come to terms with that. And I have personally chosen … to take this on in my latter years and try to be vocal … and try to drag some of my peers along.”

Stephens also highlighted the widespread nature of the problem, saying, “I don’t think that I know a single woman in the Army who has not been harassed. And I would be pretty hard-pressed to find a woman that I personally know that hasn’t been assaulted. And it’s devastating. These are my teammates. These are my sisters.”

Pentagon vows ‘zero tolerance’ toward those celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death

The Pentagon announced last week that it is actively monitoring and will take action against active-duty personnel who publicly celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk.

“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,” said Sean Parnell, assistant to the secretary of war for public affairs, chief Pentagon spokesperson, and senior advisor, in a post on X.

Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the sentiment, reposting Parnell’s statement and adding, “We are tracking all these very closely — and will address immediately. Completely unacceptable.”

On Saturday, September 13, the Army Reserves suspended Maj Bryan Bintliff, who operated under the name “Bryan Harlow” on social media, after he allegedly made several posts applauding Kirk’s killing, according to the Daily Caller.

One of the posts read, “A monster died today. It’s sad Charlie’s kids are traumatized for life, but it’s not a sad thing that he’s dead.”

Parnell later confirmed Bintliff’s suspension, reiterating on X, “Zero tolerance at the Department of War for those who celebrate or mock the assassination of fellow Americans.”