Co-hosts on ABC’s The View on Tuesday criticized recent comments by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi saying the government would “target” people engaging in hate speech, saying such rhetoric risks politicizing the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Bondi made the remark during an appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast last week, prompting backlash that she later addressed on X. In her post, Bondi wrote, “Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime,” and sought to clarify that her comments were aimed at criminal threats rather than constitutionally protected expression.
On the program, co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said Bondi’s language was “very concerning,” noting that pursuing speech through government action would conflict with the message many associated with Kirk. Griffin said she knew Kirk and that he “rabidly opposed cracking down on free speech,” adding that the approach would not align with the legacy she believes he would have wanted.
Sara Haines made a similar argument, citing a post Kirk wrote on X before his death in which he said: “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.” Haines said it was inappropriate to allow government officials’ comments to run counter to what she characterized as Kirk’s defense of broad free-speech protections. “We’re talking about the government right now speaking about free speech,” she said. “People at the highest levels of leadership have said this death has been politicized. I would argue it’s also politicizing it when you go against the very spirit of Charlie Kirk.”
Griffin also drew a distinction between potential government action to criminalize speech and the social and professional consequences individuals face for celebrating Kirk’s murder. She said private companies are entitled to enforce their workplace standards and that people who publicly celebrate the killing may face job loss or community backlash. “When I do see some of these videos—they’re on TikTok, they’re mostly young people—celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk, it’s horrific, it’s wrong, check your soul,” she said.
The discussion comes amid heightened debate about the limits of the First Amendment, where legal scholars and officials often distinguish between protected speech, such as offensive or unpopular viewpoints, and unprotected speech, such as direct threats or incitement to imminent lawless action. Bondi’s clarification on X emphasized that her concern was with threats of violence rather than expression that, while hateful, does not amount to criminal conduct.
Kirk’s killing last week has prompted widespread commentary across the political spectrum, with some leaders warning against rushing to politicize the incident and others calling for scrutiny of rhetoric that may contribute to violence. The exchange on The View highlights the tension between safeguarding speech rights and addressing speech that may cross into criminal threats, a debate likely to continue as public officials and media figures respond to the assassination.
The View airs weekdays on ABC.