2026年4月29日 美国东部时间04:00 / CNN
作者：亚伦·布莱克
詹姆斯·科米与吉米·金梅尔
盖蒂图片社/迪士尼
去年特朗普连任总统三周后，副总统J·D·万斯曾就欧洲的言论自由弊端发表过一则饱受争议的演讲，同时还许下承诺。
“就像拜登政府似乎不顾一切地压制敢于表达真实想法的人一样，特朗普政府将彻底反其道而行之，”万斯在德国慕尼黑说道，“我希望我们能在这方面展开合作。华盛顿已经迎来了新的治安官。”
然而自那以后，特朗普政府似乎一心想要让万斯收回这些话。该政府对言论自由权利的态度极其消极，至少在特朗普的反对者以及其他不受欢迎群体的言论上是如此。
美国副总统J·D·万斯2025年2月14日在德国慕尼黑安全会议上发表演讲。
莉亚·米利斯/路透社/资料图
或许没有哪一天比周二更能凸显这一点。
当天早些时候，我们获悉美国联邦通信委员会采取了不同寻常的举措，对美国广播公司（ABC）的电视台牌照发起挑战——此时特朗普再次呼吁该电视台对脱口秀主持人吉米·金梅尔的一则笑话进行处罚。不久后，我们又得知政府已就前联邦调查局局长詹姆斯·科米的行为对其提起公诉，而科米的行为与金梅尔的笑话一样，极有可能属于受宪法保护的言论。
这两起事件都是在最初的打压行动未能奏效后，再次对反对者进行打击。而且在每起案件中，此次行动都比最初的尝试更加明目张胆。
在金梅尔一案中，联邦通信委员会下令对电视台牌照进行审查，该委员会称这与对母公司迪士尼的多元化经营做法的调查有关。此前这名喜剧演员曾发表过一则涉及特朗普“死亡”的笑话，冒犯性言论是指第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普“带着待产遗孀的光彩”。当时特朗普曾呼吁解雇金梅尔。
这起事件发生在之前一起事件之后：当时ABC曾短暂停播金梅尔的节目，此前联邦通信委员会主席布伦丹·卡尔曾就金梅尔的另一则笑话威胁过该电视台——那则笑话涉及保守派活动家查理·柯克的刺客可能是一名“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）支持者（目前并无证据证明这一点）。
这些笑话质量如何、是否得体其实并不重要；关键在于，两者显然都处于受保护言论的范畴之内。
白宫记者晚宴遭遇枪击事件
26张照片
特勤局特工在4月25日周六的白宫记者晚宴期间，在总统唐纳德·特朗普与第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普附近展开应对行动。
亚历克斯·布兰登/美联社
白宫记者晚宴遭遇枪击事件
特勤局特工在4月25日周六的白宫记者晚宴期间，在总统唐纳德·特朗普与第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普附近展开应对行动。
亚历克斯·布兰登/美联社
安保人员在周六枪击事件发生后做出反应。
乔纳森·恩斯特/路透社
宾客们在特朗普被迅速带离会场时躲到一旁。
埃文·武奇/路透社
枪击事件发生后，特朗普被护送出主宴会厅。
博·埃里克森/路透社
众议院议长迈克·约翰逊被疏散。
乔纳森·恩斯特/路透社
一名宾客在宴会厅内躲避。
杰西卡·科谢尼亚克/路透社
卫生与公众服务部部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪在特勤局特工的护送下被带离。
曼德尔·恩/法新社/盖蒂图片社
枪击事件发生后，特工们在现场警戒。
安德鲁·哈恩/盖蒂图片社
人们在撤离酒店后拨打手机。
曼西·斯里瓦斯塔瓦/CNN
与会者在宴会厅的桌子下和椅子后躲藏。
埃文·武奇/路透社
特朗普的高级卫生官员穆罕默德·奥兹医生被疏散。
曼西·斯里瓦斯塔瓦/CNN
一名民众从酒店房间窗户向外张望，执法人员正在现场处置。
艾莉森·罗伯茨/美联社
特朗普在其Truth Social账号上发布了这张嫌疑人照片。据三名知情人士向CNN透露，嫌疑人已被确认为来自加利福尼亚州的31岁男子科尔·托马斯·艾伦。艾伦的衣物被搜查武器和伤口的警员脱去。
唐纳德·特朗普/Truth Social
安保人员聚集在红毯附近。
曼西·斯里瓦斯塔瓦/CNN
联邦调查局局长卡什·帕特尔在疏散过程中查看手机。
汤姆·布伦南/美联社
一名民众在人们逃离大楼时遗落的鞋子。
伊丽莎白·弗朗茨/路透社
特工们护送人们离开华盛顿希尔顿酒店。
内森·霍华德/盖蒂图片社
枪击事件发生后，特工们在现场警戒。
安德鲁·哈恩/盖蒂图片社
一辆救护车抵达华盛顿希尔顿酒店外。
艾莉森·罗伯茨/美联社
副总统J·D·万斯被护送出大楼。
安德鲁·哈恩/盖蒂图片社
撤离活动的人们坐在电视机旁观看CNN主播沃尔夫·布利策的报道，布利策称枪击开始时，枪手离他只有“几英尺远”。“那对我来说是一段可怕、极其吓人的时刻，”布利策说道。
肯·塞德诺/路透社
撤离后，与会者和酒店工作人员聚集在酒店外。
马克·希菲尔比/美联社
人们在事件发生后做出反应。
内森·霍华德/盖蒂图片社
人们聚集在附近的一家便利店外。
曼西·斯里瓦斯塔瓦/CNN
人们在白宫西翼车道入口处聚集。特朗普在返回白宫前，先被转移到华盛顿希尔顿酒店内的安全地点。
汤姆·布伦南/美联社
事件发生后，特朗普在白宫举行新闻发布会。总统称嫌疑人已被特勤局人员制服。
内森·霍华德/盖蒂图片社
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白宫记者晚宴遭遇枪击事件
尽管周末在白宫记者晚宴现场，一名枪手在特朗普所在楼层上方被逮捕后，金梅尔关于总统“死亡”的笑话听起来会有不同的意味，但这绝非威胁。金梅尔此前解释称，他是在拿56岁的梅拉尼娅·特朗普与79岁且明显日渐衰老的特朗普之间的年龄差开玩笑。
在之前涉及金梅尔的事件中，卡尔曾声称自己并非在威胁ABC（尽管他曾说过可以“用简单的方式或强硬的方式”解决问题）。当时的批评声音还包括，金梅尔在刺客的相关问题上散布了虚假信息。
联邦通信委员会主席布伦丹·卡尔2025年2月18日在华盛顿特区的联邦通信委员会总部参加会议。
凯文·迪奇/盖蒂图片社
但此次联邦通信委员会采取了审查广播牌照这一重大且极为罕见的举措，而非仅仅暗示他人采取行动，这使得那些辩解站不住脚。尽管联邦通信委员会一再辩解，但很难说此次事件不是为了惩罚一则政府不喜欢的笑话。
科米的公诉案也存在类似情况。
与金梅尔一案类似，政府此前曾试图就另一问题打压这位前FBI局长，但未能成功——也就是去年9月对其向国会作出虚假陈述的指控提起公诉。
就连保守派法律学者都对这些指控持相当怀疑的态度。这起案件显然证据不足，大陪审团甚至驳回了一项指控，仅勉强通过了另外两项——尽管大陪审团极少驳回指控。
2025年11月19日，詹姆斯·科米刑事案件在弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿举行听证会。
达纳·弗考特伦
此案因负责提起公诉的美国检察官被裁定任职非法而被驳回。
但司法部并未就这些指控重新提起公诉，而是转向了一起完全不同的案件——源于科米发布了一张排列成“86 47”字样的贝壳图片。
去年科米发布该图片时，特朗普和政府高级官员曾称这是一种威胁，甚至是叛国行为，尽管“86”有很多并非“干掉”的含义。（“47”是特朗普作为第47任总统的简称。）科米称他不知道该表述可能被赋予这种含义，并很快删除了该帖子。
政府在这起案件中定罪似乎同样困难重重。他们不仅要说服陪审员“86”构成威胁——考虑到科米称自己只是偶然发现这些贝壳而非特意排列，这一点难度尤大——而且根据最高法院近期的判例，他们还必须证明科米“主观上知晓其言论具有威胁性”。
这是一个极高的标准。法律专家也对此表示怀疑，认为无法达到。
詹姆斯·科米已删除的Instagram帖子显示，排列成“86 47”字样的贝壳。数字“86”通常指丢弃或处理某物，而“47”则对应特朗普作为第47任总统的任期。共和党人称这是对唐纳德·特朗普总统的威胁，而科米则表示“我没意识到有些人会将这些数字与暴力联系起来”。
詹姆斯·科米/Instagram
话虽如此，在经过漫长的审查程序后，对科米定罪或吊销ABC的牌照可能并非政府的真正目的。让你不喜欢的人陷入麻烦，并向那些可能冒犯你的人发出警告，同样是大有裨益的。
而政府已经明确表示，在这一过程中，反对者的言论自由权利几乎不值一提。
相关报道 插画：阿尔贝托·米尔/CNN/盖蒂图片社 特朗普对第一修正案的考验：时间线 阅读时长2分钟
当然，联邦检察官此前曾就一项议题起诉六名民主党国会议员，指控他们告知军人不要服从特朗普的非法命令——尽管这是美军士兵早已接受的指导原则。大陪审团驳回了这些指控。
美国国防部曾出台一项繁琐的五角大楼记者新闻政策，后来该政策被裁定无效。
政府曾试图驱逐表达对巴勒斯坦支持的合法移民。
特朗普曾就其不认同的媒体报道提起过证据薄弱的诉讼。
而在柯克遇刺事件后，时任司法部长帕姆·邦迪曾短暂预告计划打击仇恨言论，尽管根据最高法院判例，仇恨言论属于受保护的言论。
这起事件和此前第一起金梅尔事件是少数几起连保守派言论自由倡导者都站出来反对政府，并迫使政府退缩的情况。
但显然，政府并未停止突破界限——其所作所为与此前在第一修正案问题上做出的承诺背道而驰。
Comey and Kimmel cases drive home Trump’s dim view of foes’ free speech
2026-04-29 04:00 AM ET / CNN
Analysis by
Aaron Blake
James Comey and Jimmy Kimmel
Getty Images/Disney
Three weeks into President Donald Trump’s second term last year, Vice President JD Vance infamously lectured Europe about its free speech abuses. He also made a promise.
“Just as the Biden administration seemed desperate to silence people for speaking their minds, so the Trump administration will do precisely the opposite,” Vance said in Munich, Germany. “And I hope that we can work together on that. In Washington, there is a new sheriff in town.”
Ever since then, though, the Trump administration has appeared bent on making Vance eat those words. It has taken a remarkably dim view of free speech rights, at least where Trump’s foes and other disfavored groups are concerned.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance gives a speech at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 14, 2025.
Leah Millis/Reuters/File
And perhaps no day has driven that home like Tuesday did.
Early on, we learned that the Federal Communications Commission was taking the remarkable step of challenging ABC’s station licenses – as Trump once again is calling for the network to punish talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke. Soon after, we learned the administration had secured an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey for conduct that, much like Kimmel’s joke, appears very likely to be constitutionally protected speech.
Both are second bites at the apple to punish foes after the first ones didn’t pan out. And in each case, they’re arguably even more transparent than the initial efforts.
In Kimmel’s case, the FCC ordered the review of the station licenses, which it claimed is tied to a probe into parent company Disney’s diversity practices, after the comedian told a joke that involved Trump’s demise. The offending remark was about how first lady Melania Trump had the “glow of an expectant widow.” The president had called for Kimmel’s firing.
This follows a previous instance in which ABC briefly suspended Kimmel’s show amid threats from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr over another Kimmel joke – this one involving the possibility that conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassin was a MAGA supporter (which has never appeared to actually be true).
Whether either of those jokes were good or even tasteful isn’t really material here; the point is that both appear to be well within the bounds of protected speech.
Shots fired at shots fired at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
26 photos
Secret Service agents respond near President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, April 25.
Alex Brandon/AP
Shots fired at shots fired at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Secret Service agents respond near President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, April 25.
Alex Brandon/AP
Security officials react after shots were fired on Saturday.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Guests take cover as Trump was rushed out of the room.
Evan Vucci/Reuters
Trump is escorted out of the main ballroom after shots were fired.
Bo Erickson/Reuters
House Speaker Mike Johnson is evacuated.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
A guest takes cover in the ballroom.
Jessica Koscielniak/Reuters
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is rushed out by Secret Service agents.
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Agents stand guard after shots were fired.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
People make phone calls after evacuating the hotel.
Maansi Srivastava/CNN
Attendees hide under tables and behind chairs in the ballroom.
Evan Vucci/Reuters
Dr. Mehmet Oz, a top Trump health official, is evacuated.
Maansi Srivastava/CNN
A person looks out of their window as law enforcement respond to the scene at the hotel.
Allison Robbert/AP
Trump posted this photo of the suspect to his Truth Social account. He was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old from California, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Allen’s clothes were removed by officers who searched him for weapons and wounds.
Donald Trump/Truth Social
Security personnel gather near the red carpet.
Maansi Srivastava/CNN
FBI Director Kash Patel is seen on his phone during evacuations.
Tom Brenner/AP
A shoe lies on the floor as people flee the building.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reutesr
Agents escort people out of the Washington Hilton.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Agents stand guard after shots were fired.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
An ambulance arrives outside the Washington Hilton.
Allison Robbert/AP
Vice President JD Vance is escorted out of the buiilding.
Andrew Harnik/Gettyimages
People who evacuated the event sit near televisions showing CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who said the gunman was just “a few feet away” from him when the gunfire began. “It was a terrible, very frightening moment for me,” Blitzer said.
Ken Cedeno/Reuters
Attendees and hotel workers gather outside after evacuating.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
People react after the incident.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
People gather outside a nearby convenience store.
Maansi Srivastava/CNN
People are seen outside the West Wing driveway entrance of the White House. Trump was taken to a secure location within the Washington Hilton hotel before returning to the White House.
Tom Brenner/AP
Trump speaks during a press conference at the White House following the incident. The president said the suspect was “taken down” by members of the Secret Service.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
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Shots fired at shots fired at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
While Kimmel’s joke about the president’s demise lands differently after a gunman was later arrested a floor above Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend, it was hardly a threat. And Kimmel has explained that he was making a joke about the age gap between the 56-year-old Melania Trump and the 79-year-old and visibly aging Trump.
In the prior incident involving Kimmel, Carr claimed he wasn’t actually threatening ABC (despite saying things could be handled “the easy way or the hard way”). And part of the criticism there was also that Kimmel was spreading misinformation about an assassin.
Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Brendan Carr participates in a FCC meeting at the commission’s headquarters on February 18, in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
But both of those claims are out the window this time as the FCC takes the major and very rare step of reviewing broadcast licenses, rather than just suggesting others should do something. Despite the FCC’s assertions, it’s difficult to argue this episode is about anything other than punishing a joke the administration didn’t like.
The Comey indictment presents similar dynamics.
Much like with Kimmel, the administration tried to go after the ex-FBI chief for a separate issue that didn’t pan out – namely, a September indictment for alleged false statements to Congress.
Except even conservative legal scholars were quite skeptical of those charges. The case was also apparently so thin that grand jurors rejected one charge and only narrowly approved two others – despite grand jurors very rarely rejecting charges.
Hearing in James Comey criminal case in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
Dana Verkouteren
The case was thrown out when the US attorney who secured it was ruled to be serving in the role illegally.
But rather than secure a re-indictment on those charges, the Justice Department has gone for a completely separate case – one stemming from Comey posting an image of seashells arranged to spell out “86 47.”
Trump and top administration officials had claimed when he posted it last year that it was a threat or even treason, even though “86” has plenty of meanings that aren’t “kill.” (“47” is shorthand for Trump, the 47th president.) Comey said he didn’t know it could have that meaning, and he quickly deleted the post.
The administration appears to face a similarly steep hill in getting a conviction in this case. It must not only convince jurors that “86” constitutes a threat – which could be extra-difficult given Comey says he stumbled upon the shells rather than arranged them himself – but recent Supreme Court precedent means it must also prove that Comey had “some subjective understanding of the threatening nature of his statements.”
That’s a very high bar. And experts have been dubious it can be cleared.
This now-deleted Instagram post from James Comey shows seashells spelling out the numbers “86 47.” The number 86 can often refer to getting rid of or tossing something out, while 47 corresponds to Trump’s current term in office as the 47th president. Republicans claimed that it was a threat against President Donald Trump, while Comey said he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.”
James Comey/Instagram
That said, landing a conviction of Comey or revoking licenses from ABC after what’s due to be a lengthy review process probably isn’t the point. There’s also plenty to be said for inconveniencing people you don’t like and sending a message to others who might do you wrong.
And the administration has made it clear that its foes’ free speech rights are of little concern in that effort.
Related article Photo Illustration by Alberto Mier/CNN/Getty Images Trump tests the First Amendment: A timeline 2 min read
Federal prosecutors previously, of course, sought indictments of six Democratic members of Congress for telling members of military not to obey illegal orders from Trump – even though that’s guidance service members are already given. A grand jury rejected those charges.
The Department of Defense launched an onerous press policy for Pentagon reporters that was later struck down.
The administration has sought to deport legal immigrants who expressed support for Palestinians.
Trump has launched thin lawsuits against media organizations whose coverage he disagrees with.
And after Kirk’s assassination, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi briefly previewed a planned crackdown on hate speech, even though hate speech is protected speech under Supreme Court precedent.
That and the first Kimmel episode around the same time are some of the few instances in which even conservative free-speech advocates actually pushed back on the administration – and caused it to retreat.
But clearly, it’s not done pushing the limits – in ways that fly in the face of what it promised on the First Amendment.
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