The Biden administration sought to target and prosecute Christians, going so far as to allegedly withhold evidence for pro-life defendants, a new report from the Justice Department reveals.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the “Biden Administration’s actions devastated the lives of many Christian Americans.”
“No American should live in fear that the federal government will punish them for their faith,” he noted.
Biden DOJ ‘Operated as an Enforcement Arm for Abortion NGOs’
Biden’s dedicated National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care providers closely coordinated with abortion activists and NGOs, effectively turning federal prosecutors into a mere extension of these abortion advocacy groups. DOJ task force leaders regularly had direct contact with the National Abortion Federation, Planned Parenthood, and other NGOs.
According to the report, the task force director “‘monitored’ pro-life activists for years before charging them. … During the investigations of these cases, the NGOs sent DOJ ‘security reports’ or ‘dossiers’ on the activities of the pro-life activists and their personal information.”
One example included a pro-abortion NGO sending the director and FBI a “137-page memorandum on the conference schedule, lodging, and multi-page dossiers on numerous ‘anti-choice individuals,’ including many individuals that DOJ then prosecuted.” Such dossiers reportedly contained addresses, photographs — including of family members and children — names of associates, and information about travel plans.
Biden Admin Withheld Evidence For Pro-Lifer
According to the report, “The Biden DOJ prosecutors knowingly withheld evidence that defense counsel requested to prepare an affirmative defense” and “falsely claimed to not have such information available.”
One example stems from United States v. Gallagher, in which the defense counsel asked federal prosecutors for “historical data on FACE Act protections,” but the task force director claimed he did not retain those types of records, nor did he believe the department “will provide them.” The report claims the task force director did have “readily available” such information.
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Biden Admin Tried To Exclude ‘Culty’ Christian Jurors
The Biden administration “tried to screen out jurors based on religion” in United States v. Zastrow, according to the report, maligning pro-life Christians as “culty.”
“Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) looked for ways to screen possible jurors based on their conservative or religious views, while not inquiring about liberal counterviews,” the report claimed. In at least one instance, United States attorneys called Christian pro-lifers “culty” and “complained that ‘they ended up with a very Catholic magistrate on duty this week and he was very particular about the bond conditions and not infringing on [defendants’] first amendment rights.’”
Biden DOJ ‘Pursued More Severe Charges,’ ‘Significantly Harsher Sentences’ For Pro-Lifers
The report found that the Biden DOJ “requested an average sentence of 26.8 months for pro-life defendants, compared to 12.3 months for pro-choice defendants.” Ultimately pro-life defendants received an average sentence of 14 months while pro-abortion defendants were given an average 3-month sentence, according to the report.
Biden IRS Investigated Churches Whose ‘Religious Values Aligned With Conservative Political Views’
The Biden IRS reportedly had a different set of standards when applying the Johnson Amendment. The Johnson Amendment prohibits tax-exempt organizations like churches from endorsing political candidates.
According to the report, the Biden IRS investigated churches because their “religious values aligned with conservative political views.”
“In one matter, the Biden IRS denied a Christian organization’s application for tax-exempt status because its ‘[B]ible teachings are typically affiliated with the [Republican] party and candidates,’” according to the report. This purported violation that formed the basis for the denial occurred on Oct. 18, 2020, when a Leesburg, Virginia, pastor preached a sermon about the upcoming election and urged his congregants to vote “according to ‘the values set forth in the Bible.'” Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel reportedly said the Republican platform “was in greater alignment with the Bible than the Democratic Platform.”
Biden’s IRS then levied an excise tax on the chapel for “alleged political expenditures.”
The Biden IRS appeared “to ignore open endorsements of liberal candidates at other churches” when applying the Johnson Amendment.
The report comes a day after Sen. Chuck Grassley released text messages showing Biden DOJ prosecutors Molly Gaston and Joseph Cooney discussing their desires to prosecute Roman Catholic nuns, specifically “any nun who still wears the head habit.”
