U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing backlash after announcing that the Trump administration would “absolutely target” individuals expressing “hate speech” following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA.
During an interview on the “Katie Miller Pod” that was released on Monday, Bondi said, “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.”
Asked if law enforcement officials would take action against individuals using hate speech, Bondi warned, “We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech… and that’s across the aisle.”
The attorney general’s comments regarding a crackdown on hate speech in the United States appear to contradict Kirk’s beliefs regarding free speech in the country. Defending the right to free speech in May of 2024, Kirk tweeted, “Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America free.”
Philip Klein, editor of National Review, argued in a Monday post on social media that Bondi’s comments were “egregiously wrong” and noted that the First Amendment’s right of free speech “exists precisely to protect speech some people may find offensive.”
In another post on X, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) suggested that the First Amendment does not have a “hate speech exception.”
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The organization added, “The attorney general would be wise to read the words of the Supreme Court, which has repeatedly held that the ‘proudest boast’ of America’s free speech tradition is ‘freedom for the thought that we hate.'”
Following the widespread backlash to the attorney general’s comments, Bondi released a statement on Tuesday morning to clarify her previous remarks.
“Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime,” Bondi tweeted. “For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over.”
Bondi noted that federal law makes it a crime to issue a threat to kidnap or injure another individual or to threaten members of Congress and public officials.
“Free speech protects ideas, debate, even dissent but it does NOT and will NEVER protect violence. It is clear this violent rhetoric is designed to silence others from voicing conservative ideals,” Bondi added. “We will never be silenced. Not for our families, not for our freedoms, and never for Charlie. His legacy will not be erased by fear or intimidation.”
