Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) came under heavy backlash over comments threatening young people looking to work for the Trump administration.
At a University of Chicago event Tuesday, Slotkin laid out her strategy to suppress young people’s interest in working for the Trump administration by prosecuting “signature cases” against people who “enabled” President Donald Trump. Though her remarks were made a week ago, the clip of her threat only went viral on Saturday, sparking outrage.
“I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration? Like, that sounds fun, I might get an opportunity.’ I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that,’” Slotkin said. “I want that deterrence message.”
The remarks were widely interpreted as an open threat to weaponize the government to target lower-level staffers to make prospective administration hires fearful of working for the government. Outrage quickly spread, beginning among right-wing commentators, then rising to Republican lawmakers, notably Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT).
“It is absolutely disgraceful to threaten young Americans for participating in politics and serving their country,” Lee said in a Saturday post on X, replying to the clip.
On Sunday, Slotkin stood firm in a lengthy X post responding to Lee, and casting herself as the real victim of a weaponized government.
“Spare me the pearl-clutching — especially from Republican Members of Congress and online MAGA grifters who have cheered President Trump’s weaponization of the government against those he doesn’t like, as recently as last week,” she said.
Slotkin recalled her experience as the target of an investigation over her involvement in the “Seditious Six” video, in which six congressional Democrats urged service members not to follow “illegal orders,” a statement Republicans viewed as a wink-and-nod call for insubordination.
“America must be a place where the rule of law still matters,” Slotkin said. “Those laws should apply to everyone equally. If you have aided in the corrupt use of U.S. taxpayer dollars to benefit the President or his family, or you have violated the law in order to carry out guidance from the President, you should be held accountable.
“And given how rampant that corruption appears to the average American, people looking to work for his Administration should realize that while the Supreme Court has granted the President immunity, it has not done the same for those who do illegal things at his behest.”
The statement was not received warmly, prompting further outcry and viewed by conservatives as a confirmation of her previous threat. Lee described her plan as a “Fascist move.”
Other conservatives saw it as a confirmation of Democratic radicalism.
“Never forget. These people think of you as an enemy combatant,” American Moment co-founder Nick Solheim said in a post. “’Bipartisanship’ and ‘reaching across the aisle’ is dead—the people on the other side desire to see you in prison.”
Other Republicans turned the outcry into a midterm elections pitch.
“If you still think these people in any way care about ‘affordability’ or the price of gas, think again,” Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) said. “Democrats care about one thing and one thing only: Absolute power at all cost.”
Slotkin’s comments also drew a direct response from the Trump administration.
“This is incredibly disappointing and unprofessional coming from a U.S. senator — endorsing political prosecutions to dissuade patriotic Americans from serving their country,” Scott Kupor, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, wrote on X. “In contrast, we at OPM believe in recruiting the best and brightest early-career prospects.”