Attorney General Pam Bondi faced sharp criticism from conservative commentators and activists after saying her office would "target hate speech" in the wake of last week's assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
A suspect, identified by law enforcement as Tyler Robinson, was arrested and is expected to face murder charges Tuesday in the killing of Kirk, who was shot while speaking to college students at Utah Valley University. The slaying has prompted debate over violent rhetoric, online material tied to the killing and how public officials discuss speech while investigations proceed.
Bondi, appearing with former White House official Katie Miller earlier this week, pledged to prosecute people who engage in what she termed "hate speech" regardless of political affiliation. "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 said. "We will absolutely target you, go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech, anything, and that's across the aisle."
Conservative critics responded quickly, saying Bondi misstated constitutional law and conflated protected speech with criminal conduct. Erick Erickson, a conservative commentator, wrote on X that Bondi was "apparently a moron." Fox News analyst Brit Hume wrote that "so-called 'hate speech,' repulsive though it may be, is protected by the First Amendment." Actor and conservative activist Rob Schneider said on X that free speech protections extend to speech people "may LOATHE" unless it rises to incitement to violence.
Other right-leaning users and accounts suggested Bondi lacked the legal understanding required for her role. "There is no such thing as hate speech," one account wrote on X, urging enforcement against violent threats while rejecting the terminology.
Critics pointed to Kirk's longstanding opposition to hate speech restrictions. In May 2024, Kirk posted on social media: "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." Over the past week, employers across several industries placed workers on leave or terminated employees after they were accused of celebrating or endorsing the killing, according to media reports.
Republican lawmakers also pressed social media platforms to remove graphic videos and posts related to the killing. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna urged platform executives to take down videos of Kirk's murder, writing on X that the footage was "horrifying." Reps. Lauren Boebert and Clay Higgins made similar calls for removal of the material.
Bondi pushed back on the criticism in a post on X, saying "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." The Department of Justice did not immediately provide additional comment; media outlets reported the DOJ was contacted for reaction.
The controversy highlights tensions within conservative ranks over responses to the killing and how officials should balance addressing violent threats while not curtailing speech protected by the Constitution. Prosecutors and law enforcement continue to investigate the circumstances of the attack and the materials shared online in its aftermath.