The Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial board slammed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday for remarks she made on a podcast regarding the First Amendment.
Bondi appeared on the newest episode of "The Katie Miller Podcast," hosted by the wife of President Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller. During the episode, Miller asked Bondi about some of the rhetoric used after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was slain on a Utah university campus.
“We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech,” Bondi said.
The Wall Street Journal's editorial board responded in a sharply worded op-ed on Tuesday.
"Kirk would want a word," the editors wrote.
The op-ed notes that Kirk defended hate speech as an example of the free speech protected by the First Amendment. It adds that U.S. law places certain limitations on free speech, such as if speech is likely to cause "imminent" lawlessness.
"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 editorial adds. "But she is a law enforcer, not a social-media anger management coach, and she’s sworn to uphold the Constitution."
"Maybe Ms. Bondi should quit appearing on podcasts about Charlie Kirk until she listens to some Charlie Kirk podcasts," it continues.
"Is a basic understanding of the First Amendment too much to expect from the nation’s Attorney General?" the editorial asks.
