The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth on Wednesday appeared to lift the suspension of pilots under investigation for hovering near Kid Rock’s Tennessee mansion last week.
In a post on social media, Hegseth thanked the rocker and said “pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.”
The statement came after Kid Rock, whose name is Richard James Ritchie, posted two videos waving to an Apache helicopter as it lingered near the pool outside of his Nashville estate. The musician said “God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her,” in the caption of one post that also included hurled insults at the governor of California.
The video was taken at the rocker’s “Southern White House,” a Nashville mansion he has modeled after the president’s traditional D.C. residence. A human-sized Statue of Liberty is also visible in the video by the edge of the pool.
The Army on Tuesday confirmed that two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell had taken part in the now-publicized flight and those involved had been suspended while the event was investigated.
“The Army takes any allegations of unauthorized or unsafe flight operations very seriously and is committed to enforcing standards and holding personnel accountable.” Army spokesman, Maj. Montrell Russell said in a statement Tuesday.
Kid Rock brushed off the possibility of repercussions for the pilots in a Monday interview with WKRN, dismissing concerns about the Apache’s crew facing possible repercussions.
“I think they’re going to be alright — my buddy is the commander in chief,” Kid Rock said, referencing his longtime friendship with President Donald Trump.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.
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