Josh Gerstein, a senior legal affairs reporter at Politico, drew criticism on social media after posting on X that “the amateur effort to knock on doors of home daycares” could intersect with “robust stand-your-ground laws.” Critics and some public officials said the post appeared to encourage or normalize violence against journalists or investigators; Gerstein later said he was describing a risk, not advocating harm.
Josh Gerstein, a senior legal affairs reporter at Politico, faced a wave of criticism online after posting about independent journalists and others attempting to visit home-based daycare sites in Minnesota amid renewed attention on alleged fraud in the sector.
In a post on X timestamped Dec. 30, 2025, Gerstein wrote: “At some point, the amateur effort to knock on doors of home daycares intersects with robust stand-your-ground laws.” The message was widely shared and drew hundreds of replies.
Several prominent conservative media figures and commentators interpreted the remark as suggesting that daycare operators could legally use deadly force against journalists or investigators who show up at their doors.
Fox News personality Greg Gutfeld mocked what he described as media outlets’ reluctance to do in-person reporting, writing that it was “safer working from home on your laptop.” Other commenters accused Gerstein of implying violence against independent reporters.
The account for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also responded on X, saying a “Senior Legal Affairs Reporter” should “know better than to tweet something inciting violence against federal agents,” arguing that the logic could be applied to federal investigators who conduct doorstep inquiries.
Some critics challenged the legal premise of Gerstein’s post. Conservative commentator Mollie Hemingway wrote that stand-your-ground laws do not authorize killing “door knockers” and said Minnesota is not a stand-your-ground state.
Legal summaries and gun-law references generally support the point that Minnesota does not have a stand-your-ground statute, though the state’s self-defense rules have been shaped by court decisions and vary by circumstance.
Gerstein addressed the controversy the following day, posting: “To observe that something is likely to happen or there’s a serious risk of it happening is not to advocate for it happening.”
Politico did not immediately respond publicly to questions about the dispute, and The Daily Wire reported it received no on-the-record reply after seeking comment.
