U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) is facing significant backlash after stating she intends to leverage the threat of prosecution to discourage young individuals from working in the Trump administration.

“I want to look at these signature cases and not just focus on the president, but on the people who enabled him,” Slotkin said.

“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,” Slotkin continued.

“I want that deterrence message,” she added.

Law professor Jonathan Turley criticized the remarks online, writing that Slotkin had “said the quiet part out loud.” He argued her comments were designed to deter young people from supporting the administration.

The remarks occurred during a University of Chicago event focused on Slotkin’s political path and the future of the Democratic Party. A video clip of the exchange went viral, prompting critics to accuse her of attempting to scare potential government employees away from public service.

Scott Kupor, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which manages the federal government’s civilian workforce, described Slotkin’s comments as “disappointing and unprofessional.”

“This is incredibly disappointing and unprofessional coming from a U.S. Senator — endorsing political prosecutions to dissuade patriotic Americans from serving their country,” Kupor stated.

“In contrast, we at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management believe in recruiting the best and brightest early career prospects,” he added.

Slotkin indicated that this approach is one of her three main goals if Democrats gain control of the House or Senate in November. Her other priorities include finding ways to “Trump-proof” government operations and introducing significant legislation targeting housing and healthcare.