Is Activist "Academic Freedom" Actually Free When Taxpayers Fund It?

Academic freedom is important but can it be abused to the point of making taxpayers fund political activism? According to Rick Hess from the American Enterprise Institute, the answer is yes. Where is the line between respecting the right to free speech and making the public pay for specific opinioins and activism? That's the focus of this discussion. For more information: https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/scholarly-associations-gone-wild-stop-publicly-funding-scholarly-groups-that-trade-academics-for-advocacy/?mkt_tok=NDc1LVBCUS05NzEAAAGVMkC6wuPTheUgtt54HmBgxRLQLBex24qy1DJF8GvOagXLMOErmbUFatIkyy6qbF1ubyh1ZPgW1yQXl8dAUQhUXsoZJU7XyznGRKIJgOGd2szeBC5H