FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) is facing an ethics complaint filed to the United States Senate over comments she made earlier this month that many characterized as a "threat" to conservatives who are thinking about working for the Trump administration.

During an Oct. 13 University of Chicago event, Slotkin drew criticism after a clip went viral showing her saying she wants to pursue "signature cases" against people who "enabled" President Donald Trump and push a "deterrence message" for young people.

"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, 'Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don't want, and so let me avoid participating in that,'" she said. "I want that deterrence message sent," Slotkin said.

Slotkin is now facing an ethics complaint filed Thursday by Michael Bicksel, a University of Chicago student who first reported her remarks. The complaint was submitted to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and argues that Slotkin proposed using congressional investigations and potential prosecutions to frighten young people away from serving in a Republican administration.

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"Recently at an event at my college, the University of Chicago, Senator Slotkin laid out a legislative-oversight agenda that involved using the legal process to terrorize members of the Trump administration in order to ‘deter’ young people from going to work for it," Bicksel wrote.

The complaint asks the committee to determine whether Slotkin's comments amounted to "improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate," a standard described in the Senate Ethics Manual as applying to conduct that may be unethical even if it does not violate a specific law or Senate rule.

"As a college student and a conservative, this was a shocking thing to hear," Bicksel's complaint reads. "A prominent U.S. Senator came to my college and laid out a goal that I and my peers should be afraid to serve our country in the executive branch. This is well below the standard of conduct expected of a U.S. Senator and deserves investigation by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and appropriate subsequent disciplinary action."

ELISSA SLOTKIN TELLS STUDENTS LIKE ME NOT TO WORK IN GOVERNMENT. DON'T LISTEN TO HER

Bicksel argued that Slotkin's comments were directed at students considering government service, rather than exclusively at people who commit crimes or engage in unethical conduct.

"The substance of the ‘deterrence message’ is clear as day," Bicksel wrote. "Her target was ‘young people coming out of school’ (like me and my classmates) who are debating whether they should ‘go work for the Trump administration.’"

"We are obviously not debating — as she subsequently tried to clarify — whether to go commit crimes or behave unethically," he continued. "Those who commit crimes should be punished for doing so. No one disagrees with that. All we are debating is public service, pure and simple, and Senator Slotkin says we should think twice about doing so because it might provoke the full power of the United States Senate."

Slotkin, when pressed on the response to her comment on CNN, referred to the controversy as "manufactured outrage."

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"I think the thing that I've heard from my own Republican colleagues and peers, including interns and folks who work around the Hill who come to our events, they'll tell you, ‘I was worried,’" Slotkin added. "My parents were worried, you know. It's really messy. I'm not sure what to get involved in.' Politics, in general, has become messy."

The Justice Department is currently facing calls to investigate Slotkin over her remarks, Washington Examiner reported on Wednesday.

Slotkin's communication director pointed Fox News Digital to a statement made by the senator on Tuesday when reached for comment.

"Now, if you take a breath, this is all pretty crazy. A president from the Oval Office is weaponizing our justice system against an American who clearly gets under his skin. And if he can do it to me, he can do it to anyone," Slotkin said. "His supporters use a coordinated play to threaten, intimidate, and silence anyone who speaks up. It's a play to distract us from his failed economy, high gas prices, and the disastrous war he started with Iran. But if I've learned one thing from this past year, it's that you have to push back."

After losing five consecutive games, the Maryland athletic department announced Wednesday that it was moving on from head football coach Mike Locksley. The school described the decision as a " mutual" agreement between both parties.

When the Terrapins called a team meeting for Wednesday morning, the news had already been broken by multiple outlets that included OutKick, players were seen arriving to the football facility for an explanation from those in charge of moving the program forward.

Unfortunately, news like this rarely stays quiet until a team can gather privately. Reporters typically wait outside football facilities to speak with players and gauge their reactions after a head coach is fired.

Defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

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Yes, reporters will stand outside the football facility for player interaction

That was the case Wednesday, when two University of Maryland student reporters stood outside the athletic complex hoping to speak with players leaving the facility after learning about Locksley’s dismissal.

According to one of the student reporters, SB Nation’s Testudo Times journalist Nolan Rogalski, he and Jude Wilkenfeld believed they were permitted to stand outside the football complex because Maryland is a public university.

However, a Maryland staff member reportedly called police on the two student journalists for "suspicious activity." Two officers then arrived at the scene and questioned the reporters about what they were doing outside the facility.

"For @testudotimes , @JudeWilkenfeld and I were outside Jones-Hill House trying to get players to comment," Rogalski mentioned on social media. "An athletics staffer took pictures of us, and a police dispatch was called for suspicious activity; a cop and 2 cop cars pulled up, and officers ID’d us and asked us to leave."

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The students appeared to be doing nothing out of line. They were simply covering a major story unfolding on their campus and attempting to speak with players affected by the coaching change.

This time last season, there had already been seven head coaches fired in college football, and every single one of them led to reporters in some capacity trying to gather quotes from athletes who were affected by the news.

Somewhere, there was a breakdown in communication on Wednesday following the firing of Locksley.

Terrapins release statement on police questioning students

Whether the school acted out of spite or genuinely did not know what the two students were doing outside the football complex is up for debate.

The University of Maryland Police Department recorded the names of Rogalski and Wilkenfeld but said no report was filed regarding the incident. The school and UMPD released a joint statement Wednesday evening emphasizing that they respect the First Amendment rights of journalists.

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The statement also cited heightened security concerns surrounding the football program in recent weeks as the reason police were contacted.

"UMPD was contacted today, Oct. 21, 2026, about two individuals who were standing outside of Jones Hill House," the statement noted. "Due to heightened concerns for staff and player safety around the football program in recent weeks, there has been increased security around athletics facilities. A UMPD officer approached the two individuals, learned they were with a campus media organization, recorded student IDs, and no report was taken."

"UMPD and Maryland Athletics respect the First Amendment rights of all journalists reporting in public spaces."

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The Maryland athletic department has recently been criticized over decisions made regarding press conferences involving the now former head coach Mike Locksley.

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Now they are searching for a new head coach, while also still making the news for actions involving reporters.