A Starbucks in Norwood Park, Illinois, has denied claims that an employee wrote “Loser” on a cup containing Charlie Kirk’s go-to order, contradicting a viral story that caused a minor conservative frenzy last week.
A spokesperson told Block Club Chicago that surveillance footage of the incident showed the word was not written by an employee, and had “to have been added after the beverage was handed off, likely by someone else.”
The scandal first spread online Tuesday when Jacqueline Garretson—whose X bio lists her as Illinois director of The Conservative Caucus, a right-wing lobbying group—posted a photo she reportedly received from a “relative.” The image showed a Starbucks cup with Kirk’s favorite drink, Mint Majesty tea with two honey packets, marked with the insult. She followed up the post with more videos and photos over the course of two days.
The resulting fracas, egged on by Garretson, forced the Starbucks to close for a short while. Starbucks released a statement on Tuesday that read, “Most customers use their own name. And when a customer wants to use a different nam—including the name Charlie Kirk—when ordering their drink in our café, we aim to respect their preference.”
Though Starbucks has not identified who wrote the offending word on the cup, social media has assumed the accuser wrote “Loser” on the cup themselves in order to cause a viral stir.
Garretson wrote in a post on X on Friday that she wanted Starbucks to release the full video and the details of their investigation.
“It is my firm position that the party withholding evidence is the party engaging in dishonesty,” Garretson wrote on X. “I am formally requesting that the full, uninterrupted video footage of the incident in question be provided without delay. My team requires this material promptly for review.”
She followed up by saying, “Earlier today, I personally visited the Starbucks location involved and was informed that the matter remains ‘under investigation.’”
Garretson’s public social media accounts indicate that she is frequently calling out corporations and institutions for anti-right bias. In posts to Facebook, she frequently calls out various school districts, politicians, and local officials.
Following Kirk’s murder on Sept. 10, right-wing keyboard warriors have been quick to seek retribution for insults against the slain conservative activist.
Despite the DOJ being unable to find evidence to link the suspected killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, to any left-wing political ideologies, Kirk’s death has been widely presented by right-wing politicians and pundits as a result of violent Democratic rhetoric.
Garretson did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
