Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday attempted to clarify remarks she made about "hate speech" that set off conservatives, with critics pointing to Charlie Kirk’s own words to push back on the AG.
During an interview on "The Katie Miller Podcast," Bondi argued “there’s free speech and then there’s hate speech,” saying the government would go after those who target individuals with hate speech. But as The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression pointed out, "there is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment."
This is really outrageous and infuriating. We’re already having a lot of success fighting back against the leftists celebrating Charlie’s death. We don’t need Pam Bondi swooping in to throw the entire conversation off the rails by completely missing our point. And having a “hate…
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 16, 2025
No @PamBondi this is not ok.
— Just Phil Lyman (@phil_lyman) September 16, 2025
This is a betrayal of @charliekirk11 ‘s legacy. Stop. pic.twitter.com/ubjMVLhLjV
Hate speech is just a fancy way to complain about mean words.
— The Rabbit Hole (@TheRabbitHole84) September 16, 2025
Adults should have better things to worry about.
If the issue is incitement of violence then take the extra seconds to articulate that but let’s scrap the Orwellian idea of hate speech.
There is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment. Nevertheless, the attorney general says "there's free speech, and then there's hate speech," and the government will "target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech."
— FIRE (@TheFIREorg) September 16, 2025
The attorney general would be… https://t.co/991JPKp5ys
On Tuesday, she attempted to clarify her remarks.
Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime. For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), it is a federal crime to transmit “any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another.” Likewise, 18 U.S.C. § 876 and 18 U.S.C. § 115 make it a felony to threaten public officials, members of Congress, or their families.
You cannot call for someone’s murder. You cannot swat a Member of Congress. You cannot dox a conservative family and think it will be brushed off as “free speech.” These acts are punishable crimes, and every single threat will be met with the full force of the law.
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.
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.
You completely concede the argument to the left when you use the term "hate speech." We categorically reject that entire idea. You're right that threats of violence are not free speech, but you must never concede to the left by talking about "hate speech."
— Jared (@Livng4Jesus) September 16, 2025
I think the problem is you adopted the framing of the left. There is no such thing as "hate speech." Obviously threats are different and should be punished.
— Bo French (@BoFrenchTX) September 16, 2025
This isn't a correction or a retraction or a retreat; it's a post hoc attempt to bend the term "hate speech" to mean something that it never has. https://t.co/pPNYgH2nek
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) September 16, 2025
You should probably consider not saying anything publicly for the next few months https://t.co/GL5BOcvBmT
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) September 16, 2025
This effort at clean-up gets close, but again, there is no such thing as “hate speech.” We already have laws against incitement and threats.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) September 16, 2025
It is extremely damaging to give up one of left’s primary premises, especially one Charlie and the rest of the right have fought against. https://t.co/GrpVZ1ZSX1
“Hate speech” is a loaded term that should not have been used. Instead of admitting error, why is Bondi trying to redefine the term into something it’s not? https://t.co/e8mXjFbi4i
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) September 16, 2025
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