Sen. Slotkin Urges Democrats to Deter Young Conservatives from Trump Administration Service

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin has called on Democrats to pursue legal action against officials in the Trump administration, aiming to create a deterrent effect that would discourage young conservatives from seeking employment in future Republican administrations. Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, stated at a recent University of Chicago event that Democrats must "go after" and make examples of those involved in corruption within President Trump's orbit.

"I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration? That sounds fun, I might get an opportunity,’" Slotkin said. "I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that.’ I want that deterrence message sent."

Slotkin emphasized the need for accountability for corruption but suggested focusing on "signature" cases rather than solely on the president. She noted that while President Trump has immunity, his staffers do not. "The people around Donald Trump who are doing his bidding and enabling this have no such immunity. They have no immunity the way the president does," she stated. "And to me, he couldn’t do any of this stuff without all of those people saluting and supporting it. So you go after the people who do his bidding."

Her remarks drew sharp criticism on social media. Michael Bicksel, a student at the University of Chicago, posted on X that Slotkin told conservative students they should "live in fear of political persecution" if they chose to serve in the Trump administration, labeling her tactics as "Bolshevik-style."

Conservative influencer Greg Price also commented on X, stating, "Sen. Elissa Slotkin just said that he wants to prosecute everyone who works for President Trump and that her goal is for young conservatives coming out of school to be afraid of working in a Republican administration."

GOP operative Nathan Brand described Slotkin's comments as "gross" and a threat to young conservatives interested in public service.

Earlier in the week, President Trump had suggested he might engage in a broad pardon spree before leaving office. "I don’t want to see people that work for me go through years of nonsense, hire lawyers and everything else, all for nothing," Trump told Newsmax host Rob Finnerty.