Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), during Pam Bondi's attorney general confirmation hearing, highlighted an often overlooked aspect of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to prosecute political opponents.
Democrats grilled Bondi over suspicions that she would use her position to target President-elect Donald Trump’s enemies. Republicans smartly countered this by pointing out how the current administration has used the state to target Trump and his allies.
However, Hawley focused on how Biden’s White House prosecuted Christians based on their religious beliefs.
In the last four years, this administration has carried out an unprecedented attack and campaign against people of faith. If you look at the numbers, we've never seen anything like it before in American history. It has been one of the most disgraceful chapters in the history of the Justice Department and in the history of the FBI.
Hawley broke down the specifics, noting that “After the Dobbs case was decided by the Supreme Court, over 100 pregnancy care centers and over 300 churches in this country were attacked, vandalized, firebombed.”
The senator asked whether Bondi knew how many suspects were prosecuted for these acts. “I do not, senator,” the nominee responded.
“It’s stunning, it’s two,” Hawley responded.
The lawmaker continued, characterizing the attacks as “violent” and “gruesome” and said they were “egged on and encouraged by rhetoric from members of Congress, including members of this body, who have said that pregnancy care centers aren’t real medicine, that they’re not real doctors. They have legitimized these attacks.”
While Biden’s Justice Department “couldn’t lift a finger to defend these Americans,” they “used legislation, a law known as the FACE Act, to prosecute at least 53 different pro-life demonstrators, including people like Mark Houck from Pennsylvania, whom this Justice Department sent a SWAT team to his door in the early morning hours.”
Watch Senator Josh Hawley rip into the Biden administration for weaponizing the DOJ against people of faith:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 15, 2025
"In the last four years, this administration has carried out an unprecedented attack and campaign of people of faith." pic.twitter.com/nmsPOAN5Oz
After Bondi affirmed that she would put a stop to this biased approach to law enforcement, Hawley continued, bringing up how the FBI sought to spy on and infiltrate Catholic parishes. He referred to the Bureau’s memo that came to light in 2023 that details plans to “put assets into Catholic parishes, into choirs,” according to Hawley.
“This is an unbelievable, unbelievable assault on Americans' First Amendment rights,” the senator said.
We only know of it because of a brave whistleblower who came forward and released it to us. I will tell you, I have never been misled and lied to like I was by the current Attorney General and the now former FBI director when they sat right where you're sitting now and told this committee, ‘Oh, we don't know anything about it. Oh, only one field office was involved. It was the single work of a single field office and a very few individuals.’
Yet, it turned out that “Multiple field offices were involved” and “Multiple individuals were involved,” Hawley pointed out.
Bondi replied, “I think what you’re talking about is the ultimate weaponization,” and vowed that “one of the first things I will do…I will personally read that memo.”
Sen. Josh Hawley didn't hold back when discussing the infamous FBI memo calling for the targeting of Catholic parishes:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 15, 2025
"This is an unbelievable assault on Americans' First Amendment rights... This is an outrageous abuse... One of the worst abuses of DOJ and FBI authority..." pic.twitter.com/rIzlSFkHKy
Much of the weaponization discussion has focused on how the administration used the government to go after Trump. But, in reality, the Justice Department and FBI have also been deployed to target those who align with his political beliefs, which is reminiscent of the Bureau's COINTELPRO operation in which it infiltrated civil rights organizations as well as others.
The fact that the Bureau had time to send men with guns and badges to people’s homes for protesting at abortion clinics but could not bother to deal with those who actually engaged in violence is one of the most egregious misuses of the justice system one can imagine. Clearly, this administration based its efforts on politics rather than a pursuit of justice.
Moreover, the notion that the Bureau planned to spy on Catholic Americans over unfounded fears of extremism is yet another indicator that federal law enforcement agencies are being used to promote a political agenda. It’s the type of corruption we have seen in the Bureau since its inception.
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