Columnist Fired For Her False Accusations Against Charlie Kirk Files Legal Grievance Against WaPo

Columnist Karen Attiah filed a legal grievance against The Washington Post on Wednesday after she was fired for her false accusations against Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

The Post fired Attiah in mid-September for falsely accusing Kirk of stating that “black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously.” After lamenting her firing as a “hasty overreach,” the columnist’s grievance claims that the Post violated the company’s labor policy by not allowing her to supposedly speak “truthfully and forcefully about matters of vital public concern,” The New York Times reported.

“Yes I will be fighting back against the unjust firing by @washingtonpost.com. I have filed a grievance and will be represented by none other than the amazing @katiephang.bsky.social and an incredible legal team. Journalistic freedom is a bedrock of a healthy society and is worth battling for,” Attiah wrote on BlueSky, a left-wing social media platform.

Attiah submitted a four-page letter to the Post’s head of human resources seeking to recover damages over her firing, the Times reported. The Post informed the columnist in a termination letter that her remarks about Kirk were “unacceptable,” constituted “gross misconduct” and endangered the safety of colleagues.

The Post’s policies and standards require employees to use social media responsibly and civilly, and to treat people with respect, according to The Times.