A government watchdog group has filed a Senate ethics complaint against Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), alleging her recent remarks about deterring young people from working for the Trump administration crossed the line into threats against public service.
Speaking at a University of Chicago event last Tuesday, Slotkin spilled about the Democrats’ plan to pursue high-profile corruption cases against Trump officials to create “a deterrence message” for prospective government employees.
“I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration? That sounds fun, I might get an opportunity,’” Slotkin said. “I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that,’” she continued. “I want that deterrence message sent.”
The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) submitted the complaint to Senate Ethics Committee Chairman James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Vice Chairman Chris Coons (D-Del.), requesting an investigation into whether Slotkin’s comments violated Senate ethical standards.
CASA Director James Fitzpatrick called the remarks “extremely troubling and a potential violation of Senate Ethics rules,” citing the provision that allows discipline for conduct that “unfavorably reflects on the institution as a whole.”
Republican senators like Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) have strongly condemned the comments as a “fascist move.”
Amid the backlash, conservative media and opinion writers have called for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to censure Slotkin, including the Federalist’s Joy Pullman, who wrote: “If current Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune doesn’t at the very least censure Slotkin for openly committing herself to continued unconstitutional abuses of power, he supports a repeat of all this. It’s that simple.”
Slotkin meanwhile has doubled down on her comments in multiple interviews, claiming that the viral clip omitted context and that she was merely responding to a question about using oversight powers to target corruption and “enablers” within the administration.
The Michigan Democrat told MSNOW that she was only experiencing blowback for the comments because she’s a strong woman.
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“I do think there’s something about being a woman and criticizing them and calling out their corruption that really gets under their skin,” Slotkin declared.
President Trump told reporters Tuesday that he would pardon any young conservatives that were being unfairly targeted by Democrats. Trump and Vice President JD Vance held a press briefing in the Oval Office to announce the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program (WHIP) to combat federal fraud.
The initiative, administered by the Department of Justice, allocates $25 million to reward individuals whose tips lead to successful fraud convictions or significant enforcement actions.
The president said independent journalists like Nick Shirley need to be protected because they are a direct threat to corrupt Democrats.
“That’s why California passed the STOP NICK SHIRLEY ACT, an outrageous attempt to crush free speech and to stop the corruption from being exposed,” Trump said.
“If I see somebody that’s unfairly treated, I have the power of pardons. There’s those that say it’s the strongest power a president has. And if I have to use it to protect people like Nick, I’d use it very openly, very gladly.”
When asked about Slotkin’s alarming remarks, Trump said: “They want to frighten people—young people—from ever working in the Trump administration or a Republican administration.”
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Trump previously called Slotkin a “lowlife who is destroying her state.”
