Ex-Biden Adviser Says Trump Crackdown ‘Disrespectful To Charlie Kirk’s Memory’

Former senior Biden aide Andrew Bates said the perceived President Donald Trump -led crackdown on speech is “disrespectful to the memory” of slain activist Charlie Kirk.

Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi has drawn criticism for threatening to go after people over what she described as “hate speech” — including those cheering Kirk’s assassination.

There have been other examples of people being fired for commentary about Kirk, and a concerted effort online to claim more scalps in the aftermath of the killing. On Thursday night, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel became the latest example as his show was suspended over a comment he made during a monologue.

In a Substack interview before Kimmel’s suspension, Bates brought up the efforts to punish speech around the Kirk killing, as well as Trump’s idea to use racketeering laws against protesters who called him “Hitler” in a restaurant:

ANDREW BATES: I think that what you’re seeing a lot of the time is… The lack of decency, or say the fact that after you had this terrible murder of Charlie Kirk, we-.

You now have this week, Vance and Trump trying to take away First Amendment rights of people who disagree with them, which is disrespectful to Charlie Kirk’s memory and to the memory of everybody who has been harmed by political violence.

And I don’t think that that is the kind of thing the American people want from their leaders at all. I think (they want to be) brought together, I don’t think they want this. Railing against Unity, which is literally, literally this week.

TOMMY CHRISTOPHER: …Kirk has been stylized as, like, First Amendment, like free speech warrior. I’ve heard a few people say that he would not approve.

If Charlie Kirk could materialize before our eyes, would he be speaking out against, what would he speaking out that Trump and these guys have been doing?

ANDREW BATES: What I know is that it is not respectful to people’s intelligence to on the one hand, talk about someone as a champion of First Amendment rights, and then in the same breath, try to take away First Amendment Rights from people who disagree with you.

I can’t speculate on things that he would say, and I respect that his family’s going through loss, something that should never ever happen, something that is the opposite of what we need to be as a country.

But what distresses me and what I think is especially offensive is this attempted political weaponization of what happened to try and scare people out of saying that they disagree with their government, which is a sacred American right.

Whatever the political party of who is in power, whatever your views, you have the unassailable right to disagree with your government.

I saw the number two official at the Department of Justice did an interview with Kaitlan Collins, CNN last night. He was talking about trying to exploit laws that are used to prosecute terrorists and organized crime to go after people who shout at Donald Trump.

And I, I remember when people would yell, “F*ck Joe Biden” at Joe Biden, nobody anywhere even thought about trying to go after folks who are just exercising their rights.

Did that offend us? Of course it did. But they have every right to do that and nobody ever even thought about trying to stop them.

Watch above via the Tommy Christopher Substack interview series.