Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing broad backlash on the right after suggesting the federal government may try to prosecute alleged hate speech, with efforts to clarify the comments stoking criticism.
Her remarks came on former Trump administration official Katie Miller's podcast regarding a flood of comments made online celebrating the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week.
"There's free speech and then there's hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society," Bondi told Miller in an interview published Monday.
"We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech," the attorney general said.
The backlash against Bondi's comments was swift from across the political spectrum. A chorus of conservative voices particularly pushed back, pointing to sweeping protections under the First Amendment for free speech and dismissing the idea of prosecuting alleged hate speech.
"For a couple [of] decades, we defended religious freedom and speech that some people deemed to be inappropriate," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters. "Look, in America, it's a very important part of our tradition that we do not — this is a conservative principle and certainly an American principle — we do not censor and silence disfavored viewpoints."
"Someone needs to explain to Ms. Bondi that so-called 'hate speech,' repulsive though it may be, is protected by the First Amendment," Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume posted. "She should know this."
▪ The Hill: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas): "You cannot be prosecuted for speech."
▪ The Hill: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) hits back at Bondi, says she failed "to prosecute MULTIPLE direct death threats" against him.
Bondi sought to clarify her comments with a post Tuesday on the social platform X, arguing "hate speech" that rises to the level of violent threats isn't protected by the First Amendment.
"For far too long, we've watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over," she said.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon further pushed to clarify the Justice Department would not try to prosecute individuals for "nasty speech" but would for incitement of violence or "hate-motivated attacks."
Bondi still received criticism even after her clarification, with Fox News host Will Cain directly rejecting the attorney general's comments.
"No. We don't have 'hate speech.' Private employers firing people for abhorrent celebration of murder…cool," he said. "Going after direct incitement, which some are getting close to…cool. But we don't have 'hate speech' in the USA."
The uproar comes amid a broader push by President Trump and his administration to crack down on certain types of rhetoric and go after left-wing groups in the wake of Kirk's killing, The Hill's Brett Samuels reports.
BACK IN THE HOT SEAT: FBI Director Kash Patel will return to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to answer questions about the Kirk assassination investigation and other topics before the House Judiciary Committee.
His appearance comes a day after he testified before the Senate Judiciary panel and faced grilling from Democrats who slammed him for his conduct in office, most recently his leadership in the probe to find Kirk's killer.
Patel posted on X just hours after Kirk was shot to report a "subject" had been taken into custody, only to later say the person had been released and the manhunt for the killer continued. The bureau typically limits updates on such high-profile cases until it is confident in the information.
But Patel has stood by his conduct, engaging in intense exchanges with Senate Democrats on Tuesday, including multiple shouting matches.
▪ The Hill: Patel lashes out at Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), calling him "political buffoon at best."
▪ NBC News: Patel defends handling of Kirk investigation and FBI firings in fiery hearing.
Trump has expressed confidence in Patel multiple times leading up to his Capitol Hill appearances, praising the FBI chief after the suspect in Kirk's shooting was taken into custody within two days.
The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was formally charged in Utah on Tuesday on counts of aggravated murder and other felonies. Officials also released texts he purportedly sent confessing to his partner and saying he spent more than a week planning it.
No comments:
Post a Comment