Candace Owens Sued for Defamation Over False Claims About Charlie Kirk's Security Chief

Brian Harpole, a Texas-based businessman and founder of Integrity Security Solutions, a private security firm, has filed a defamation lawsuit against conservative commentator Candace Owens. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, alleges that Owens knowingly spread false and damaging claims about Harpole in the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the late co-founder of Turning Point USA.

Harpole provided security services for Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk from 2022 to 2025, including protective services at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, where Kirk was fatally shot. According to the complaint, Owens began immediately disseminating baseless conspiracy theories, including claims that:

• Kirk was betrayed by individuals close to him;
• The government orchestrated a cover-up of the assassination;
• Turning Point USA was implicated in the event;
• Someone other than the identified shooter, Tyler Robinson, was involved in the murder.

Owens also launched a targeted campaign to impugn Harpole’s reputation, accusing him of foreknowledge, participation, and cover-up of Kirk’s assassination—despite having no evidence. The complaint states that Owens admitted to reviewing Harpole’s flight records but continued to falsely claim he attended a meeting at Fort Huachuca on the day before the assassination, basing the accusation solely on unsubstantiated testimony from an unnamed source referred to as “Defendant Snow.”

Between December 9, 2025, and December 28, 2025, Owens published at least eight false statements across X (formerly Twitter) and her podcast, alleging that Harpole attended a conspiracy meeting at Fort Huachuca on September 9, 2025—the day before Kirk’s assassination. These statements accused Harpole of conspiring with the government to commit murder, a criminal offense. Key claims include:

On her December 9, 2025 podcast, Owens stated that “credible” source Mitch Snow saw Harpole at Fort Huachuca on September 9, 2025, and claimed, “When an operation is being confirmed, you have these final meetings, and they involve all the higher-ups and you are trying to do this in a very isolated location where you know people are not going to accidentally happen upon you.”

Owens also posted on X on December 18, 2025: “We bring you an EXPLOSIVE interview with what may be the lone eyewitness to a mysterious, top brass meeting which occurred on Fort Huachuca the day before Charlie Kirk was assassinated.”

The lawsuit asserts that Owens acted with reckless disregard for the truth and intentionally spread these false claims to damage Harpole’s professional reputation and personal standing. Harpole, represented by legal counsel, is seeking damages for defamation, emotional distress, and reputational harm caused by Owens’ statements.