Bondi in hot water over hate speech comments
by Brett Samuels
Attorney General Pam Bondi is under scrutiny over her comments about cracking down on certain rhetoric in the wake of the killing of Charlie Kirk, marking the latest controversy of her own making.
Bondi and other Justice Department officials have had to clean up the attorney general’s comments from earlier in the week, when she said the agency would target those using hate speech, something that is generally protected by the First Amendment.
The attorney general has previously taken heat from some on the right for her comments about the case of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, where critics argue Bondi overpromised and underdelivered on releasing documents.
While some on the right have called for President Trump to move on from Bondi, there are no indications he plans to do so. Administration officials pointed to the attorney general’s loyalty and her work on key parts of Trump’s agenda.
“Pam Bondi has done an unbelievable job, and everybody agrees with that,” Trump said Tuesday.
Georgetown Law Professor on BONDI Threatening To PROSECUTE Anti-Kirk Rhetoric | SUNRISE
Bondi raised eyebrows when she said Monday that the administration would “go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.” The attorney general separately threatened to prosecute Office Depot over an employee’s refusal to print posters for a vigil honoring Kirk.
Bondi’s comments about hate speech drew pushback from prominent conservatives including Megyn Kelly, Erick Erickson, Matt Walsh and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who noted hate speech is generally protected under the First Amendment.
The attorney general, as well as other top officials in the Justice Department, have since clarified her comments.
“We are not prosecuting people for nasty speech alone — but true incitement to violence, or hate-motivated attacks, are illegal and will be treated as such by this DOJ!” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon posted on the social platform X.
CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten said Wednesday that weekly Google searches for free speech were up 186 percent compared with the five-year average, a sign Bondi’s comments broke through beyond Washington.
One source close to the White House said Bondi has “run into some problems” and that this week’s controversy was the latest instance where she “overspoke.” Traditionally, the attorney general has not had an outsized media presence, but Bondi is a regular on Fox News, where she often touts the president’s agenda and her agency’s work.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board admonished Bondi over her hate speech comments in an editorial published late Tuesday. The editorial, titled, “Pam Bondi Needs a Free Speech Tutorial,” also criticized the attorney general’s tenure more broadly.
“Ms. Bondi hasn’t had a distinguished tenure as AG, as she too often seems to follow the latest social-media, cable-TV mood swing,” the paper’s editorial board wrote. “But she is a law enforcer, not a social-media anger management coach, and she’s sworn to uphold the Constitution.”
This week is not the first time Bondi’s own words have gotten her into trouble, including with some of the president’s supporters.
The attorney general was at the center of a firestorm over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
While members of the MAGA movement expressed frustration with FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, Bondi took the brunt of the backlash, with some Trump allies calling for her ouster.
Bondi’s critics cited her own comments pledging transparency around the Epstein files, including an interview in February in which she said the public would see “a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information.” She also said in February an Epstein client list was “sitting on” her “desk” to be reviewed. She has since asserted she was referring to a variety of files related to the Epstein case.
Bongino, a popular figure among Trump’s base, clashed with Bondi over the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein matter.
The Justice Department has since turned over numerous Epstein-related documents to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in response to a subpoena. The department also published the audio and transcript from an interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, an Epstein associate serving a prison sentence and seeking a pardon for or commutation of her sex trafficking conviction.
Despite the controversies, Trump has repeatedly offered praise for Bondi, who is often at the White House and has traveled extensively with the president.
“The attorney general has handled that very well. She has really done a very good job,” Trump said amid the uproar over the Epstein files in July.
Bondi, who was confirmed to the position after Trump’s first pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), withdrew in the face of bipartisan resistance, has also led the charge on key Trump administration initiatives.
A White House official pointed to the Justice Department’s efforts cracking down on sanctuary cities, targeting drug cartels, defending religious liberty and reducing violent crime.
The official argued that Bondi’s work to implement Trump’s agenda “deserves more attention.”
Tags Charlie Kirk Dan Bongino Erick Erickson Ghislaine Maxwell Jeffrey Epstein Kash Patel Matt Gaetz Matt Walsh Megyn Kelly Pam Bondi Thomas Massie
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