Charlie Kirk's Chief of Security Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Candace Owens

Brian Harpole, the former chief of security for late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, filed a defamation lawsuit against far-right influencer Candace Owens and her source, Mitchell Snow, on Thursday, April 30.

The lawsuit centers on Owens' promotion of a theory alleging that Harpole conspired with the U.S. military to assassinate Kirk.

Harpole’s complaint, filed by attorney Matt Sarelson, alleges that Owens falsely accused him of "conspiring to assassinate" Kirk.

The suit specifically targets claims made by Snow on Owens' podcast that Harpole met with high-ranking military officials and Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, a day before the September 10, 2025, shooting to "plan the murder.”

The filing asserts these claims are "verifiably false," stating that travel records place Brian in Dallas, Texas, on the day he was allegedly at the military base.

The suit also references Candace's social media posts questioning if Brian lied about making a 911 call or failing to provide medical care following the shooting.

Brian is the founder and head of Integrity Security Solutions, which provided protective services for the slain MAGA influencer and TPUSA from 2022 to 2025.

He is a former Navy SEAL and retired Texas law enforcement officer with over 14 years of experience.

On the day of the assassination at Utah Valley University, Brian recounts shielding Charlie with his own body and attempting to stop the bleeding while en route to the hospital.

Candace acknowledged receiving notice of the lawsuit during an episode of her podcast, describing it as "curious" and claiming Brian never issued a retraction demand or communicated with her before filing.

“It’s certainly an interesting claim that Brian Harpole is losing clients/contracts because of me — and not like, you know, how his last job ended,” she posted on X.

She has continued to defend her "Fort Huachuca theory," claiming her findings are fact-based and suggesting that legal action is an attempt to suppress her free speech.

"Charlie Kirk was assassinated, and our military was involved. I can't wait to share this information with you guys,” Candace wrote.

Brian is seeking compensatory damages and the immediate removal of all defamatory statements from Candace's and Mitchell's social media platforms.

“Without even a modicum of substantiated evidence, she has publicly accused Harpole of foreknowledge, participation in, and cover-up of the assassination of Charlie Kirk,” the 69-page complaint wrote of Candace.

The far-right influencer responded to Brian on her podcast, saying, “How curious. What do you mean? You never communicated with me. You never spoke. You never issued any sort of retraction demand. You never answered me when I reached out. This is not at all how it normally goes. I’m pretty accustomed to how lawsuits work.”

French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit against Candace in Delaware Superior Court in July 2025.

The suit alleges that Candace spread "verifiably false and devastating lies" on her podcast and social media, specifically the false claim that Brigitte was born male.

The 218-page complaint seeks a jury trial and unspecified punitive damages, claiming a "campaign of global humiliation.”