Pam Bondi clarifies 'hate speech' comments after getting blowback

"There's free speech and then there's hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society," Bondi said. "We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech."

Bondi was criticized on social media by individuals from both ends of the political spectrum, whose primary argument was that there is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment.

Conservative broadcaster Erick Erickson slammed Bondi as a "moron" and bluntly told the attorney general, "No ma'am. That is not the law."

Fox News' Brit Hume also took a stance against Bondi's comments, noting that while hate speech may be repulsive, it is protected by the First Amendment.

Conservative commentator Maggie Moda said that Bondi sounded like "every constitutionally illiterate liberal you've debated over the past ten years," and said Kirk "wouldn't have wanted this."

Former Trump administration advisor Steve Cortes echoed a similar opinion to Moda, arguing that Kirk "rightly despised" the notion of hate speech laws and called for Bondi to be fired.

"A 'hate speech' crackdown in the name of Charlie Kirk?" he questioned.

On the other end of the political spectrum, liberal commentator and founder of "The Young Turks," Cenk Uygur, applauded conservatives for "staying principled" and pushing back on Bondi's comments on hate speech.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald said it was a "noxious claim" and the "foundation of left-liberal censorship."