“Under normal times, in normal circumstances, I tend to think that the First Amendment should always be sort of the ultimate right. And that there should be almost no checks and balances on it. I don’t feel that way anymore.

“I feel like something’s changed culturally. And I think that there needs to be some cognizance that things have changed,” she added. “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.”

The flashpoint this week was ABC suspending late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after his comments about Kirk’s killing. The decision, spurred by criticism from the head of the top U.S. communications regulator, highlighted Republicans’ new willingness to push for and celebrate consequences, a stance that complicates their reputation as staunch defenders of free speech.

Republican strategist Greg Manz, a former Trump campaign aide, said the shift is overdue.

“What you’re seeing isn’t Republicans imitating Democrats — it’s a long-overdue counteroffensive,” he said, pointing to Trump’s Twitter ban after Jan. 6 and the removal of COVID-19 content online as examples of how conservatives were previously silenced. 

That sense of grievance has animated Republicans for years, and with Kimmel’s suspension, many now see a long-awaited reversal of fortune and an opportunity to utilize the same levers once used against them.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) drew a line between government censorship and private action.

“If you are a major network host, and you say something that your employers find reprehensible … you can and will be fired. That’s not the government, that’s contracts,” he said, adding that he personally would shun anyone who mocked Kirk’s killing.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) echoed the point.

“ABC is a private company and they can make their own choices on who they want to wear their brand, so to speak,” he said.

Paul stressed that he still objected to federal agencies leaning on social media companies during the Biden administration to remove content about COVID-19, saying government pressure raised real First Amendment concerns. Asked if the same dynamic was now playing out on the Right in response to Kirk’s death, he declined to elaborate further.

Democrats rejected GOP claims that the circumstances justify a different standard. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) said Republicans are mounting “an unprecedented effort to crack down on all speech, almost regardless of the source.” He rejected comparisons between the Biden administration’s efforts to curb COVID-19 misinformation and the Trump administration’s approach, calling the equivalence false.

“That’s simply not true,” Crow said. “We’re looking for freedom of speech. We’re looking to protect it for everybody, and what we’re seeing is an unprecedented effort to crack down on all speech, almost regardless of the source.”

Crow warned that tit-for-tat efforts risk undermining constitutional protections and called on outside institutions, universities, businesses, and media companies to resist political pressure.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is weighing action against left-wing groups it accuses of fueling anti-conservative extremism. Those familiar with the discussions told the Wall Street Journal that options under consideration include financial and legal reviews, with announcements possible by the end of the month.

Manz argued Republicans are now determined to hold liberal institutions to the same scrutiny conservatives endured.

“This is about restoring the balance of power, exposing corruption, and holding accountable the institutions that thought they could operate with impunity,” he said.

For critics, the prospect of federal investigations into ideological opponents mirrors what Republicans condemned during the Biden years. At the center of that history is Arctic Frost, a sweeping FBI investigation that whistleblower records show placed at least 92 Republican-aligned groups and people under scrutiny. Among those targeted was Turning Point USA, the youth organization founded by Kirk.

The Supreme Court ruled in the 2024 case Murthy v. Missouri that two GOP states didn’t have standing to sue the Biden administration, declining to decide the underlying case on whether the government could coerce social media companies to censor so-called misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and the 2020 election results.

Republicans have seized on the declassified Arctic Frost revelations, announced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) this week, as Democrats were targeting their opponents. Now, Democrats argue, Trump is simply flipping the playbook back on them.

“Right now it’s Democrats and progressive organizations, but it also has been conservative organizations, anybody who dares question the authority of this president,” Crow said.

BIDEN-ERA FBI TARGETED 92 CONSERVATIVE GROUPS AND FIGURES, INCLUDING CHARLIE KIRK’S TURNING POINT

Some Republicans share that unease. GOP strategist Dennis Lennox described the current posture as more about settling scores than protecting principles.

“What we’re seeing is really nothing more than Republicans, but especially MAGA, settling scores,” he said. “Lawfare and the weaponization of government against your political opponents is wrong no matter what color jersey you wear.”