Workers fired, placed on leave for Charlie Kirk comments after assassination

In the United States, the murder of Charlie Kirk is igniting discussion about political violence. S. . as well as the potential negative effects on one’s career that workers who vocalize their opinions about the conservative activist’s passing and other contentious issues may encounter.

Employees have been fired by several companies and other organizations this week due to their public comments regarding Kirk, who was killed on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University. A sports reporter, a university employee, a political pundit, and a U.S. official were among those dismissed or subject to other sanctions. S. agent for the secret service.

Legal experts contend that private employers have the legal right to fire an employee who makes remarks in public that the company believes could be detrimental.

Workplace lawyer Marjorie Mesidor told CBS MoneyWatch that a private company can typically fire an employee for public remarks, including political ones, if those remarks are judged to damage the company’s reputation, violate workplace policy, or interfere with business operations.

firings in succession.

Workers in academia and a variety of other industries are in hot water because of comments they made regarding Kirk’s political views or death.

Reporter Gerald Bourguet was fired by PHNX Sports, an online sports news outlet based in Arizona, after he stated on social media on Wednesday—in a since-deleted post—that “Refusing to mourn a life devoted to that cause is not the same thing as celebrating gun violence.”. “..”.

“It doesn’t matter if you believe that refusing to honor a man who died of evil is inconsiderate or a bad idea,” he continued.

When CBS MoneyWatch contacted Bourguet, he declined to comment.

Following an on-air interview in which he claimed that Kirk had promoted incendiary speech and that “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions,” MSNBC announced that it had severed its relationship with analyst Matthew Dowd. Dowd was accused by Comcast in a public statement of making “an unacceptable and insensitive comment about this horrific event.”. “..”.

Fostering polite conversation and being open to hearing the opinions of people who hold different views ran counter to that coverage. We ought to be able to disagree strongly and vehemently while still maintaining respect for one another. Comcast executives stated, “We must perform better.

Dowd was a former Republican president George W. Bush’s chief strategist. In a Substack post on Friday, Bush expressed regret and said he didn’t intend to suggest Kirk was responsible for the violence that killed him, according to the AP. However, Dowd, a political analyst who worked for ABC News for a long time before switching to MSNBC in 2022, also charged that the network gave in to pressure to fire him.

He posted on Substack, “The right-wing media mob got their act on, attacked me across multiple platforms, and MSNBC responded to that mob.”. “The timing of my remarks was forgotten, even though the majority of MSNBC employees were aware that they were being misunderstood. and that, after I expressed regret for any misunderstandings, I was fired at the end of the day. “,”.

An employee at Middle Tennessee State University was fired for making “inappropriate and callous comments on social media concerning the horrific and tragic murder of Charlie Kirk,” according to a statement released by the university. “,”.

In a statement on X, Nasdaq claimed that it had fired a worker for posting on social media about Kirk’s shooting that “were a clear violation of our policy,” according to the stock exchange. “..”.

The U.S. posted on Facebook. A. An agent who allegedly voiced unfavorable views about Kirk was placed on leave, according to the Secret Service. “The U. A. Violations of our code of conduct will not be tolerated by Secret Service. An investigation has been started, and this employee was placed on administrative leave right away,” a U. S. . In a statement, a Secret Service spokesperson said.

Employees who allegedly made public remarks about Kirk’s death were disciplined by United Airlines, the airline told CBS News. “Uniting people and the world is our mission at United Airlines. Therefore, we have made it very clear to both our clients and staff that politically motivated violence and any attempt to defend it are not tolerated,” the carrier told CBS News in a statement.

U. S. . United received praise from Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy for “doing what’s right by putting pilots celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination out of service.”. “They have to be fired,” the statement on X said.

“Anyone who supports political violence will suffer the repercussions because it has no place in America. Duffy wrote, “Especially those we rely on to guarantee the flying public’s safety.”.

limited safeguards.

In general, private sector employees have fewer First Amendment rights, according to lawyers.

Mesidor stated, “Employers frequently have a strong legal basis to terminate an employee if their public comments cause reputational damage or customer backlash, especially on a high-profile and sensitive topic like a murder.”.

While most states lack legislation protecting workers from being fired for their behavior outside of work, such as political speech and activity, a few states—California, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina, and West Virginia—do. Employees at private companies usually have little protection from punishment for their public remarks, according to Andrew Kragie, an attorney for Maynard Nexsen, who spoke to CBS MoneyWatch.

“Generally speaking, their employer has the right to fire someone who says, ‘Thank goodness this person was assassinated,'” he said. According to him, this is because the majority of employees are hired on an at-will basis, which allows either party to end the agreement at any time and for any reason.

helped write this report.