The former security chief to conservative activist Charlie Kirk filed a lawsuit against podcast host Candace Owens in federal court, accusing her of defaming him by allegedly spreading conspiracy theories that he was involved in Kirk’s assassination, which he says is a “completely and obviously fabricated story.”
Candace Owens was sued by Charlie Kirk's former security chief for defamation. (Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images)
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Brian Harpole, who was Kirk’s security chief and was present when Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah college campus in September, filed a lawsuit in Tennessee federal court on Thursday, accusing Owens of multiple counts of defamation.
Harpole said Owens had first accused Harpole of failing to implement proper security protocol on the day of Kirk’s death on episodes of her podcast, before spreading false theories that Harpole was directly involved in Kirk’s killing.
Harpole cited interviews Owens conducted with Mitch Snow—who is also listed as a co-defendant—who says he is a former military official and claimed Harpole was present at an alleged classified meeting with senior government officials held at the Fort Huachuca army installation one day before Kirk’s death, suggesting the meeting was held to coordinate his assassination.
Owens claimed Snow’s account was “one-hundred percent honest” and expected it would lead to a “full confession from the government” about its “involvement in Charlie Kirk’s assassination,” and Snow claimed he thought he saw Harpole at the alleged meeting because he has a “gift for recognizing people.”
Harpole denied he was at any such meeting, claiming travel records show he was in Dallas, Texas at the time, and he said Owens’ purported evidence does not prove any government conspiracy to kill Kirk, “let alone Harpole’s presence at Fort Huachuca or involvement in such a conspiracy.”
Harpole’s lawsuit seeks $75,000 in damages, but he says a “reasonable award is well into the millions of dollars,” saying he has been harassed by thousands of people on social media who have falsely accused him of conspiring to kill Kirk.
In an episode of her podcast shortly after Harpole’s suit was filed, Owens disputed many of his claims and suggested the lawsuit was filed as “one big PR move.” She disputed Harpole’s claim in his suit that he is a private citizen, not a public figure, saying he made himself a public figure by appearing on the widely followed political and military commentary podcast, “The Shawn Ryan Show.” Owens accused him of presenting himself as a private citizen to require a lower standard of proving defamation. Harpole’s suit says he appeared on Ryan’s podcast “solely to respond to and rebut the defamatory statements” Owens and others allegedly made. Owens noted she had reached out to Harpole via text multiple times asking whether he was present at the alleged Fort Huachuca meeting, to which Harpole did not respond. Harpole included screenshots of the texts in the lawsuit and said he did not text back because he felt it was a “cynical attempt to profit from a situation she had manufactured.”
Harpole’s suit says Owens has garnered a reputation for spreading conspiracy theories, citing her false claims that French first lady Brigitte Macron is a man—another claim that sparked a lawsuit against Owens. Macron and her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, filed a defamation lawsuit against Owens in July, accusing her of making false claims about Macron to “promote her independent platform, gain notoriety and make money.” Similarly, Harpole’s suit notes Owens’ social media platforms are monetized, saying she “monetizes the defamation she slings.”
Kirk, who led the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in September. Owens, who was close friends with Kirk, has since spread various conspiracy theories about his assassination, suggesting there isn’t sufficient evidence against accused shooter Tyler Robinson, and that Israel may have had something to do with Kirk’s killing, which Israeli officials have denied. Owens’ propagation of Kirk conspiracy theories has angered some fellow conservative pundits, and Owens has sparred with Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, who succeeded him as Turning Point USA’s CEO. In a video earlier this week, Erika Kirk lamented Owens is “claiming I murdered my husband,” though Owens claimed in a social media post she never said that.
Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Conspiracy: Inconclusive Bullet Fuels Wild New Theories (Forbes)
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