Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said a person cannot be prosecuted for speech. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Instead of facing prosecution, Cruz said anyone who has celebrated Kirk’s murder, or suggested that he deserved to die for his political views, should be met with other forms of consequences, such as termination or expulsion. Several people in various jobs across the country have been fired for comments made in response to Kirk's death.
"We have seen, as you noted, across the country, people on the left — not everybody — but far too many people celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder," Cruz said. "We’ve seen teachers in high schools and elementary schools posting online celebrating. We’ve seen university professors posting."
"In my view, they should absolutely face the consequences for celebrating murder," he added.
Cruz's comments come after Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Monday that the Justice Department would target people who engaged in hate speech following Kirk's assassination.
"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. We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech," Bondi told podcast host Katie Miller, the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
BONDI 'HATE SPEECH' REMARKS SPARK TORRENT OF CRITICISM FROM CONSERVATIVES
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point's visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
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Kirk, who was shot and killed during an event on the campus of Utah Valley University last week, was opposed to prosecuting hate speech.
"Hate speech does not exist legally in America," he wrote on X last year. "There's ugly speech. There's gross speech. There's evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America free."
In his remarks on Tuesday, Cruz pushed for more "naming and shaming," citing English philosopher John Stuart Mill, who argued that the best response to speech is more speech.
"And naming and shaming is part of a functioning and vibrant democracy," Cruz said.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ted-cruz-says-hate-speech-absolutely-protected-first-amendment-following-charlie-kirks-assassination