A Republican Senator who once introduced the “Free Speech Protection Act” now thinks the First Amendment isn’t actually that important.
Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis told Semafor that while she used to think “The First Amendment should always be sort of the ultimate right. And that there should be almost no checks and balances on it,” she “doesn’t feel that way anymore” in the wake of the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
“We just can’t let people call each other those kinds of insane things and then be surprised when politicians get shot and the death threats they are receiving and then trying to get extra money for security,” she added.
In July 2023, Lummis joined Republican Sen. Rand Paul in introducing the Free Speech Protection Act, saying, “If we let the Biden administration restrict our freedom of speech, there is no telling what other sacred freedoms they will come for next.”
The bill was intended to prevent the government from exerting its influence on social media platforms and direct them to remove posts. It has yet to be enacted into law.
Lummis is one of many former free speech champions on the right who are suddenly not so enthusiastic about the first amendment in the wake of ABC pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a result of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s threats.
In 2022, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller tweeted, “If the idea of free speech enrages you—the cornerstone of democratic self-government—than I regret to inform you that you are a fascist.”
On Tuesday, he tweeted that it was more important to “take all necessary and rational steps to save Western Civilization” than “mimic the ACLU of the 90s.” Self-professed free speech absolutist and billionaire Elon Musk popped in to agree.
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 16, 2025
The Trump administration has made bold threats to limit the free speech of critics in the wake of the Kirk assassination. On Thursday, President Donald Trump said the “97 percent of networks” that are critical of him “should have their license taken away.”
Vice President JD Vance encouraged Republicans to call the employers of anyone they see celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death. Attorney General Pam Bondi has tried to say the era of the “radical left” “cheering violence” is “over.”
Democrats have strongly condemned the Trump administration’s attacks on free speech, and have made surprising allies in their fight.
However, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz warned Republicans against cheering for the FCC pressuring ABC to take Kimmel off the air.
Former incendiary Fox News host Tucker Carlson also said he doesn’t want to see Republicans attack free speech.
“The implication that [hate speech] is a crime,” said Carlson on Wednesday, referring to Bondi’s threats. “There’s no sentence that Charlie Kirk would have objected to more than that.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Lummis for comment.
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