Former Heritage Foundation Intern Breaks the Sen. Slotkin Intimidate Young Conservatives Story

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., drew national attention and outrage last week after suggesting her party target Republican leaders for prosecution to intimidate young conservatives from serving their country. The story was broken by Michael Bicksel, a former summer intern at The Heritage Foundation.   

Bicksel published multiple op-eds about the issue with the Chicago Thinker, Fox News, and the Daily Wire. Bicksel began his article by stating, “Last week, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin came to the University of Chicago to send a message to young conservatives: stay out of government, or else.” 

On Oct. 13, when asked about young people working in Trump’s administration, Slotkin talked about pursuing “signature cases” against Republican leaders and people who “enabled” President Donald Trump. She then went on.

“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.”

Bicksel filed a complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics against the senator. 

Bicksel stated that Slotkin’s comment “felt personal” because he has been interested in politics from a young age. He also stated, “However, as menacing as Senator Slotkin’s comments may be, they should serve as all-the-more motivation for young people, for young conservatives, to get involved in government.” 

Journey to a Journalism Scoop 

Bicksel’s own journey began in high school when he spent a semester as a U.S. Senate page. He finished the program “excited about the prospect that I could really make a difference in the future of our country.”  

After graduating from high school, Bicksel became senior editor at the Chicago Thinker. He has written pieces on a variety of topics, from data centers to Virginia’s statewide election. He also published an article about his initial thoughts upon entering the University of Chicago, where he is in his second year, studying economics and philosophy. 

During the summer of 2026, Bicksel interned with The Heritage Foundation, working in the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. Throughout the semester, Bicksel authored and drafted numerous regulatory comments to the Office of Management and Budget.  

He published multiple pieces concerning the economy, one of them being “U.S. debt blows past $40 trillion, jeopardizing quality of life for every American” for Fox News. He also published articles with The National Interest, The Washington Times, and the Daily Signal while at Heritage.  

After completing his Heritage Foundation internship, Bicksel interned for West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey. Bicksel worked in the solicitor general division where his tasks included drafting letters addressed to the U.S. trade representative and preparing oral arguments for the cases State v. Reed and State v. Valentine.  

Bicksel is continuing his work at the Chicago Thinker, where he published his first Slotkin op-ed titled “Senator Slotkin’s Threat To Young Conservatives.”  

In his article, Bicksel stated, “The midterms are only two weeks away. Senator Slotkin’s words are not empty; they are a game plan for what Democrats will do if they retake power in Congress this November.” 

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.
 

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