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3w ago

Bondi Revises 'Hate Speech' Remark to Focus on Threats as Criticism Intensifies

A narrowed pledge to pursue true threats has not eased cross-ideological criticism or concerns about the Justice Department’s direction.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, center, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem listen as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on September 15 in Washington, D.C.
US President Donald Trump listens as US Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks, flanked by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, before signing an order sending National Guard troops to Memphis, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2025.
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Overview

  • Attorney General Pam Bondi told a podcast the DOJ would "absolutely target" people for "hate speech" following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
  • Within a day she clarified on X and to Axios that the department would pursue only speech that crosses into true threats, saying free expression is "sacred."
  • Conservative leaders and legal experts, including Sen. Ted Cruz, Speaker Mike Johnson, the Wall Street Journal editorial board, and former prosecutor Joyce Vance, said the First Amendment protects hateful expression absent incitement or threats.
  • President Trump defended Bondi and, when pressed by ABC’s Jonathan Karl, said the DOJ would "probably go after people like you," drawing fresh attention to free-speech concerns.
  • CNN analyst Harry Enten said the episode is deepening Bondi’s political damage, noting polling that ranks her as the least popular Cabinet member and citing fallout from the Epstein files controversy.