GOP lawmaker demands Minnesota professor resign after Charlie Kirk ‘POS’ comments

UPDATED

A Republican Minnesota lawmaker is calling for a professor to resign, arguing his online comments about conservative leader Charlie Kirk as well as UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, both of whom were assassinated by a disgruntled gunman, are unacceptable.

The Minnesota State University — Mankato political science professor reportedly “referred to Kirk as a ‘POS who died of the violence he promoted happening to others,'” Alpha News reported.

The professor “also replied to a post about Kirk and the Minnesota Vikings, saying, ‘Ignoring that racist POS is the only thing the Vikings did right Sunday.'”

Rep. Brad Finstad, in a Sept. 22 memo to university President Edward Inch, said the recent comments are not an isolated incident for Professor Kevin Parsneau.

“In December 2024, following the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Mr. Parsneau wrote on Facebook: ‘It’s going to be disappointing if he’s a one-off killer instead of a serial killer.’ Such reprehensible statements cannot be dismissed as mere personal opinion — they reflect a repeated pattern of promoting or excusing violence.”

“Violence in any form must be condemned unequivocally,” the memo added. “Mr. Parsneau’s repeated history of such conduct is unacceptable, and it is deeply concerning that he continues to be entrusted with a platform within academia. Students deserve an environment where they can pursue their education free from exposure to faculty who openly glorify or encourage violence.”

In an interview Tuesday with The College Fix, Professor Parsneau said his comments have been taken completely out of context and “I was not glorifying violence.”

“I have said many times that nothing Charlie Kirk said or did justifies murdering him,” Parsneau said in a telephone interview. “…I believe some of the positions he held advocate a society that makes political violence more likely. That doesn’t mean I wanted him dead. I didn’t even want him harmed — go ahead, debate people.”

He said the “POS” comments were an offhand reply in Threads embedded within a football debate as the Minnesota Vikings played poorly, emotions were running high due to the game, and he simply meant he didn’t think NFL teams necessarily needed to hold memorials for Kirk.

“I thought all this conversation about holding memorials at halftime was just being ridiculous,” he said. “I’ve been watching football for 50 years and I have never seen memorials comparable with what the people online were arguing about … just leave it out of football.”

He said he regrets the foul language, but this was essentially an online conversation and he would never talk like that inside the classroom.

As for his remarks about the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Parsneau said that was a “facetious comment” written within a private Facebook group run by his bartender friend and was a poorly worded joke about women fawning over the killer’s attractiveness.

“Not everyone gets my sense of humor, and it doesn’t come across on the internet,” he said.

But at the end of the day, he added, he thought he was talking essentially privately to a couple of friends, and he strives to be impartial inside the classroom. He said the notion that he’s spewing his opinions to students, or that they have anything to fear from him, is wrong.

“I don’t want people to think there’s a Democratic version of how a bill becomes a law or a Republican version of how a bill becomes a law .. I want you to know how a bill becomes a law,” the professor said.

“My actual beliefs are somewhere around George Orwell and political philosopher Edmund Burke,” he said, adding that some students, having read the headlines, have contacted him and said they did not know of his opinions prior to the news.

“My main issue is that I am not a celebrity, so it’s really surprising regarding Representative Finstad’s comments, it’s really surprising when a congressman or his allies would be stalking me on social media to score cheap political points,” he said. “Finstad is saying, ‘Oh my goodness, what if the students hear it?’ He’s the reason they’ve heard it.”

Parsneau, 58, who has taught at MSU since 2017, said administrators have not asked him to resign, but he expects to have some “cranky conversations.” In the meantime, he said he will stick to posting pictures of his dog on social media.

The university’s media relations team forwarded The Fix a memo sent to the campus community by President Inch:

I want to acknowledge concerns that have been raised in response to recent social media posts made by a member of our faculty regarding the killing of Charlie Kirk. These posts have caused distress for many, and I appreciate those of you who have taken the time to share your thoughts with me.

At Minnesota State University, Mankato, our core values include Integrity and Respect in the way we conduct ourselves, and Responsibility to those we serve by providing an education that inspires solutions to society’s challenges. As a public institution of higher education, we uphold our responsibility to promote the free exchange of ideas—an essential part of academic life and civic engagement. However, this exchange must always be conducted in a manner that enlightens and educates, without being disparaging or disrespectful of others.

Our words and actions have consequences. As a University that proudly welcomes students from a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and experiences, we must be mindful of how our words and actions shape the perceptions of those considering Minnesota State Mankato as their academic home. The way we communicate can influence not only prospective students and their families, but also the broader community of supporters who believe in our mission, including alumni, partners, and donors. When rhetoric becomes divisive, it erodes trust and confidence in the important work we do.

Of course, as U.S. citizens and members of a public university, we respect the rights and privileges afforded by the Constitution, including the First Amendment protections of freedom of speech. These rights are foundational to our democracy and to the mission of higher education.

But also foundational to our mission is our calling to educate. When we experience differences, we seek to learn. When others display hate, we seek to develop relationship. We must act with respect toward one another, always. These principles must guide us in moments of challenge and reflection, and I encourage you to center all your dialogue on these principles.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated to include comments from Parsneau.

MORE: Prof suspended over Kirk post: ‘I will 1000% wish death on people like him’