Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is facing online backlash after saying she wants the threat of prosecution to make young people think twice before taking jobs in the Trump administration.
During an Oct. 13 University of Chicago event focused on her political path and the future of the Democratic Party, Slotkin said she wants to pursue "signature cases" against people who "enabled" President Donald Trump.
"I want to look at these signature cases and not just focus on the president, but on the people who enabled him," the Michigan Democrat said. Slotkin went on to describe how she wants prospective administration employees to weigh the risks.
"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," she said. "I want that deterrence message."
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Law professor Jonathan Turley criticized the remarks on X, writing that Slotkin had "said the quiet part out loud." He argued that she wants to deter young people from supporting the administration.
The remarks were made during a University of Chicago event focused on Slotkin’s political path and the future of the Democratic Party. A clip of the exchange circulated online, prompting critics to accuse her of trying to scare potential administration employees away from public service.
Scott Kupor, director of the U. S. Office of Personnel Management, which manages the federal government’s civilian workforce, called Slotkin’s comments "disappointing and unprofessional."
"This is incredibly disappointing and unprofessional coming from a U. S. senator — endorsing political prosecutions to dissuade patriotic Americans from serving their country," Kupor wrote on X. "In contrast, we at OPM believe in recruiting the best and brightest early-career prospects."
Michael Bicksel, a University of Chicago student, said Slotkin’s remarks made him and other conservative students feel they could face political persecution for serving in the Trump administration.
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"Sen. Slotkin, a self-avowed "defender of democracy," told me and other conservative students that we should live in fear of political persecution if we dare serve our country in the Trump administration. Sadly for her, we will never be intimidated by her Bolshevik-style tactics," he wrote on X.
The debate over Slotkin’s remarks unfolded as former President Barack Obama criticized the Trump administration’s scrutiny of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., arguing she was being targeted for her political views.
"The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views," Obama wrote on X.
One commenter accused Obama of overlooking what they saw as a parallel: Slotkin’s call for investigations of Trump administration officials.
Omar is facing two separate federal inquiries: federal agents searched her Washington home as part of an investigation into her immigration paperwork, while D. C. U. S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office was examining Omar’s financial disclosures after businesses tied to her husband reported a sharp increase in value. It remains unclear whether the probes are connected.
With the midterms approaching, Slotkin’s comments have added to the debate over how Democrats would use congressional power if they win control of the House or Senate.