Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday that threats of violence are not protected by the First Amendment and will be prosecuted under federal law, signaling a sharper focus on cases where speech crosses into criminal conduct.
In a post on X, Bondi wrote: “Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime.” She said federal authorities will answer “every single threat” with “the full force of the law.”
“Free speech protects ideas, debate, even dissent,” Bondi wrote. “But it does NOT and will NEVER protect violence.” She argued that recent “violent rhetoric” aims to chill conservative voices and vowed aggressive enforcement: “You cannot call for someone’s murder. You cannot swat a Member of Congress. You cannot dox a conservative family and think it will be brushed off as ‘free speech.’”
Bondi did not announce a new policy or name specific investigations.
Instead, her message restated existing federal limits on “true threats”—speech that falls outside First Amendment protection—while signaling that prosecutors will prioritize cases where rhetoric escalates into explicit threats.
She closed by invoking conservative activist Charlie Kirk: “We will never be silenced. Not for our families, not for our freedoms, and never for Charlie. His legacy will not be erased by fear or intimidation.”
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