The Wall Street Journal blasted Attorney General Pam Bondi after she vowed to “target hate speech” following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, an idea Kirk himself opposed.
The Rupert Murdoch-owned WSJ rode on the backlash Bondi received for saying that the Justice Department would go after anyone engaging in her definition of hate speech.
The WSJ editorial board is finding more reasons to slam the administration, including the raid on John Bolton’s home, Trump’s pick for Fed governor, and Trump’s efforts to find a peace deal in Ukraine.
Bondi’s comments suggested that federal authorities could pursue people not only celebrating Kirk’s assassination but also those who voiced opposition to his politics. “We will absolutely target you, go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech,” Bondi said on The Katie Miller Podcast.
That promise drew fire from The Journal’s editorial board, which accused the nation’s top law enforcement officer of bungling the First Amendment.
The board asked in a piece titled “Pam Bondi Needs a Free Speech Tutorial” on Tuesday: “Is a basic understanding of the First Amendment too much to expect from the nation’s Attorney General?”
The board said, “Progressives have spent years trying to create and define a category called ‘hate speech.” This misunderstanding of the First Amendment seems to have infiltrated the D.C. water supply because AG Pam Bondi repeated it Monday in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.”
The Journal noted that Kirk himself had long argued that even the most offensive speech must remain protected. “Kirk would want a word,” the board said.
“Hate speech does not exist legally in America,” Kirk posted on X last year. “There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment.”
“My position is that even hate speech should be completely and totally allowed in our country,” the activist once told a crowd, arguing that “the most disgusting speech should absolutely be protected.”
Bondi attempted a cleanup job on Tuesday, posting on X that “Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment.”
The editorial board blasted Bondi’s overall tenure.
“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. But she is a law enforcer, not a social-media anger management coach, and she’s sworn to uphold the Constitution.”
The editorial board concluded: “Maybe Ms. Bondi should quit appearing on podcasts about Charlie Kirk until she listens to some Charlie Kirk podcasts.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
Bondi also received savage blowback from her own side. Conservative host Erick Erickson called her “a moron” on X, while Rogan O’Handley, who posts as DC Draino, wrote, “We don’t need gov’t crackdowns on ‘hate speech.’”
Kirk was killed on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University. Investigators have yet to establish a motive for the accused killer, Tyler Robinson.
