American Airlines has grounded and removed multiple pilots who were “caught celebrating” the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced.
“Pilots who were caught celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk have been immediately grounded and removed from service by @AmericanAir. This behavior is disgusting and they should be fired. Any company responsible for the safety of the traveling public cannot tolerate that behavior,” Duffy said in a statement on Saturday.
The action came after multiple X users flagged to the airline a past post from one of its pilots about Kirk, which allegedly said, “Sorry you got shot in your fat f***ing forehead. It was just the cost of our liberty.”
American Airlines responded to one of those users with a statement indicating that employees who “promote” political violence have already been removed.
“American Airlines condemns violence of any kind. Hate-related or hostile behavior runs contrary to our purpose, which is to care for people on life’s journey. Employees who promote such violence on social media were immediately removed from service. We will continue to initiate action with team members who display this kind of behavior,” the airline said.
It is unclear at this time how many of the airline’s pilots were grounded and removed.
The move means American Airlines is the second airline to take such disciplinary action in the wake of Kirk’s death earlier this week.
On Friday, Delta Air Lines suspended an unknown number of employees over social media posts about Kirk’s assassination. According to CEO Ed Bastian, the posts “went well beyond healthy, respectful debate,” and those employees are facing termination pending the airline’s investigation.
Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a campus event in Utah on Wednesday. A suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested after a manhunt and he has since been charged with murder, obstruction, and felony firearm charges.
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Earlier on Saturday, the Washington Examiner confirmed that Robinson was living with a transgender-identifying partner, who ultimately turned Robinson over to police.
The Washington Examiner reached out to American Airlines for comment but did not receive a response.