Slotkin's Call for Prosecuting Trump Officials to Deter Young Conservatives Is Unconstitutional and Warrants Investigation
Source: "Elissa Slotkin calls for prosecuting Trump officials to deter staff | Fox News." October 18, 2026. www.foxnews.com
The Gist
The author says Senator Slotkin told students she wants to prosecute Trump administration officials so that young conservatives will be afraid to work for him. He argues that using prosecutions to scare people away from supporting a politician is un-American and illegal, and that she should be investigated.
Conclusion
Sen. Elissa Slotkin's stated desire to prosecute Trump administration officials in order to deter young conservatives from government service is unconstitutional, un-American, and fascistic, and she should be investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee and the Justice Department.
Premises
- Slotkin told University of Chicago students she wants to pursue 'signature cases' against Trump administration officials whose actions are 'super egregious,' because they lack the presidential immunity Trump has.
- Slotkin explicitly said she wants a 'deterrence message' sent so that young conservatives fear working in the Trump administration.
- Her example target, people involved in building the White House ballroom, involves conduct that is not a crime, and a court challenge to the project was rejected by the Supreme Court.
- Prosecutions motivated by a desire to chill support for a politician or candidate have no legitimate place in a constitutional system.
- This fits a pattern of left-wing 'lawfare' against Trump and his supporters since 2015 (Russia investigation, Jan. 6 prosecutions, Mar-a-Lago raid, indictments, civil judgment), which Slotkin would repeat if Democrats regained power.
- Slotkin's remarks on a college campus are not shielded by the Speech and Debate Clause, so they can be investigated under 18 U.S.C. §§ 241 and 242.
Assumptions
- Slotkin's remarks accurately and fully reflect a real plan to prosecute officials for political rather than legal reasons.
- Prosecuting officials for building the ballroom would necessarily be baseless and politically motivated rather than a good-faith enforcement of the law.
- Seeking deterrence through prosecution of genuinely egregious conduct is indistinguishable from prosecuting to chill political participation.
- Past prosecutions and investigations of Trump and his allies were illegitimate 'witch hunts' rather than good-faith legal actions.
- Statements of intent or aspiration, without action, can plausibly constitute conspiracy against rights or action under color of law.
- Slotkin's statements are reported accurately and in context by the Chicago Thinker.