(The Lion) — The University of Kansas says it won’t punish an employee who posted online that slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk is “better in the ground as worm food than up here preaching that murdered children are a necessary sacrifice for 2A rights.”
Screenshots of the post authored by KU Student Access Center employee Brianna Lichtenauer Wasser were shared to X by Libs of TikTok on Sept. 12. Five days later, it had over 4 million views.
“The university is aware of the post, which an employee made on a personal social media account using a personal computer on personal time,” KU spokesperson Erinn Barcomb-Peterson said in a statement.
“The post was made not in their capacity as a KU employee, but rather as a private citizen – meaning there is no violation of any university policy,” Barcomb-Peterson said.
The comment by Wasser drew backlash from Kansas politicians.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, a candidate for governor, posted on X, calling for her firing.
“Her statement is beyond unacceptable and a clear violation of our state’s social media policy for university employees,” Masterson said.
“The hateful comments spewed by numerous individuals involved in our education system are an indictment of a disturbing and extreme ideology that has taken over our campuses and classrooms,” he said.
Another Republican candidate for governor, Johnson County businessman Philip Sarnecki, posted a letter he sent to KU Chancellor Douglas Girod.
“You owe Kansas answers for this horrific celebration of a political assassination,” Sarnecki wrote.
Wasser works as an accessible print coordinator, helping ensure physical and digital documents are accessible to people with disabilities.
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed Sept. 10 while speaking outdoors at Utah Valley University. A 22-year-old suspect, Tyler Robinson of Utah, has been charged in the murder.
Wasser’s post appears to reference remarks Kirk made at a 2023 Turning Point USA event. At the time, Kirk said the Second Amendment is necessary for defending against a “tyrannical government” and suggested the benefits of gun ownership outweigh the risks of gun violence.
“I think it’s worth (it) to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” Kirk said.
