A University of Chicago student has launched a public petition calling for a Senate ethics investigation into Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin after the lawmaker allegedly made threatening remarks toward potential Republican staffers during a campus appearance.
The controversy stems from comments Slotkin reportedly made two weeks ago during an interview at the university’s Institute of Politics. According to the student, who witnessed the event, Slotkin spoke about wanting to send a “deterrence message” to young people considering work in the Trump administration.
“I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration? Like, that sounds fun, I might get an opportunity.’ I want them to be like, ‘[blasphemy], that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want, so let me avoid participating in that.’ I want that deterrence message,” Slotkin allegedly told the audience.
Former Senate Page Calls for Action
The student, who previously served as a U.S. Senate page during high school, expressed shock at the senator’s remarks. The experience had given the student deep respect for the Senate and its tradition of encouraging future public servants regardless of political affiliation.
“Slotkin shattered that perception,” the student wrote, describing how the senator’s comments seemed to contradict her stated support for democratic participation. The student questioned whether young conservatives had a place in Slotkin’s vision of democracy.
The student emphasized that achieving the senator’s stated “deterrence” would reportedly involve investigating members of the Trump administration across various levels of the chain of command.
Call for Ethics Inquiry, Not Censure
Rather than calling for censure, the student is requesting a formal preliminary inquiry by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. The petition follows a formal filing by the Center to Advance Security in America regarding the alleged threat.
The student outlined three specific requests: an ethics committee inquiry based on multiple complaints, public answers from Slotkin to three key questions about her intentions, and a clear determination from the committee about whether her conduct violated Senate ethics standards.
The questions the student wants answered include whether Slotkin’s purpose was to discourage young people from taking lawful executive branch jobs, whether she believes senators may use investigations as threats for that purpose, and whether she would condone similar statements from a Republican senator about Democratic administration staffers.
Concerns About Chilling Effect
The student’s petition emphasizes concerns about the potential chilling effect on political participation among young Americans. If the ethics committee concludes Slotkin’s conduct is acceptable, the student wrote, “I deeply fear its consequences for our republic.”
The student has already extended an invitation for Slotkin to return to campus to “set the record straight” in an interview, but reports receiving no response from the senator’s office.
“If Sen. Slotkin does not correct her statement or apologize to the millions of young conservatives she appeared to threaten when she came to our campus, an ethics investigation is warranted,” the student argued.
Defending Free Speech While Drawing Lines
While emphasizing support for Slotkin’s First Amendment rights, the student drew a distinction between protected speech and what they characterized as threats of harassment or potentially illegal behavior.
“She, like every other public official, should be free to speak her mind,” the student wrote, noting that such openness allows Americans to understand politicians’ true intentions. However, the student argued that threats of government intimidation against law-abiding citizens fall outside traditional free speech protections.
The petition frames the issue as one of protecting Americans’ constitutional right to free association and their ability to serve in government without impediments based on political affiliation.
The student called for any formal action by the committee to send a message that “young people of all backgrounds are welcome to serve our country.”
The Change.org petition represents an unusual case of a sitting senator facing ethics complaints stemming from remarks made during what was intended as an educational campus visit. The outcome could have implications for how senators engage with student audiences on politically sensitive topics.
Source: thefederalist.com — https://thefederalist.com/2026/11/02/i-saw-slotkin-threaten-gop-staff-she-deserves-an-ethics-probe/