Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is demanding answers from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi over whether she is facing a probe for hosting a "Know Your Rights" webinar as the Trump administration pursues mass deportations and other attacks on immigrants.
"I write to request clarity on whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) has yielded to political pressure and attempts to weaponize the agency against elected officials whose speech they disagree with," Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote a letter she made public on Friday.
"Over the past two weeks, 'Border Czar' Tom Homan has gone on multiple forums threatening political prosecution against me, citing resources I distributed informing my constituents and the American public of their constitutional and legal rights," she noted.
"Mr. Homan's repeated attempts to use your agency to politically intimidate duly elected officials are a textbook threat to the right to free speech in the United States."
Ocasio-Cortez—who has publicly stood up to Trump's border czar—wants a clear response from Bondi by March 5. She pointed out Thursday that "it has been 14 days since Mr. Homan first threatened to weaponize your agency, but I have not yet heard any referral from the federal government. Homan's actions undercut core constitutional rights and further transparency is necessary."
The president and his allies have long accused Democrats of weaponizing the DOJ for efforts to hold the Republican accountable for mishandling classified materials and trying to overturn the 2020 election, which culminated in him encouraging supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, an attack that did not reverse Trump's loss and resulted in multiple deaths.
The congresswoman's letter quotes the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and highlights that Vice President JD Vance recently claimed that "we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square."
She then argued that "Mr. Homan's repeated attempts to use your agency to politically intimidate duly elected officials are a textbook threat to the right to free speech in the United States. Threatening criminal proceedings for exercising the First Amendment is itself a violation of the First Amendment."
"Educating the public about their rights, especially in a time of rising uncertainty, is a key part of our responsibility as elected officials," Ocasio-Cortez added. "A government that uses threats of DOJ investigations to suppress free speech is a threat to all, regardless of political ideology."
