Earlier today, AG Pam Bondi clarified her comments about "hate speech" after receiving criticism from conservatives.
Now Speaker Mike Johnson is responding to questions about Bondi's comments.
Speaker Mike Johnson responds to question about AG Bondi's "hate speech" comments: "In America, it's a very important part of our tradition that we do not censor and silence disfavored viewpoints. People in America are allowed to say crazy things. That said, if I'm an employer or… pic.twitter.com/3o4An8XV8f
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 16, 2025
Speaker Johnson said:
In America, it's a very important part of our tradition that we do not censor and silence disfavored viewpoints. People in America are allowed to say crazy things. That said, if I'm an employer or a government agency and I have someone online who is online celebrating the heinous murder of an innocent young husband and father, I can make the decision that they don't deserve to work for me. They shouldn't represent my company or my agency. And I have every right to do that and I think that's appropriate. That's personal behavior and decorum and you have a right to enforce that.
There have been several stories of people being suspended or fired from their jobs over remarks they made about Charlie Kirk and his death, including airline pilots, Office Depot employees, and healthcare professionals.
Democrats came out against Bondi's hate speech remarks as well, with one X user noting it could be an opportunity to abolish any unconstitutional legislation concerning hate speech, "'Hate speech' is the Left's baby - the very foundation upon which most of their arguments are built. Now that they're on record against it means it's time to overturn any hate speech/hate crime statutes. We have their support, right? Time to overturn this table."
During his remarks, Johnson also called on political leaders to stop demonizing their political opponents:
Speaker Mike Johnson: "Leaders cannot call their political opponents Nazis and fascists and enemies of the state because they disagree with their policy priorities. I mean, this is something we should have learned in grade school." pic.twitter.com/rJNe1tnIEU
— Conservative War Machine (@WarMachineRR) September 16, 2025
Johnson added, "Government leaders in this body in particular have an increasing tendency to frame simple policy disputes as some sort of existential threat to our country." He said such language "spurs on depraved people, deranged people who take that as a cue, and this tragic phenomenon played out this week in Utah."