A former Wake Forest athletic trainer who worked with the women’s soccer team is suing North Carolina Congressman Pat Harrigan, saying he falsely claimed she was fired for posting about Charlie Kirk’s assassination last month.
Republican Rep. Harrigan claimed on social media that Bridget Sullivan was fired after he called the university and touted it as a personal victory, posting on X: “I’m happy to report that after I contacted @WakeForest, Bridget has been FIRED for celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination.”
But Sullivan was not fired, according to the lawsuit filed in Forsyth County Superior Court.
In her complaint, Sullivan said she exercised her 1st Amendment right of free speech when she posted on her private personal social media account: “He had it coming, he had it coming... this audio is all I have to say about that.”
She posted the text on a black screen on Sept. 11, the day after Kirk’s death. In the post, she referenced a song that is not audible in a screenshot of her social media. The next day, LibsofTikTok, a popular conservative social media account, posted a screenshot of the post along with Sullivan’s Wake Forest biography and photo.
Harrigan then responded to that post, saying: “Contacted @WakeForest regarding these reports... Anything less than firing her is an endorsement of it.”
According to the lawsuit, by Sept. 13, a Wake Forest University representative contacted Sullivan to “discuss the situation and safety measures” for her. Then the university...
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