In a statement, Marsha Blackburn’s campaign manager said the senator hadn’t yet been served with the lawsuit. Among those who shared Michael’s post was Blackburn, who posted a screenshot of the post on X and wrote, “What do you say, @austinpeay?” Michael was fired Sept. 12, two days after his initial Facebook post and the same day Blackburn posted on X. A week later, Licari told faculty members that the current political climate requires “uncomfortable trade-offs,” such as Michael’s firing. Michael isn’t the first professor to sue a politician who amplified their post about Kirk.