Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday continued the Biden administration’s pattern of stonewalling Republican concerns of misapplication of the controversial FACE Act. The secretary would only say he will “look into” allegations of using prosecutions for political purposes.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) questioned Garland during a budget request hearing. The Democrat claimed he would turn over Department of Justice (DOJ) data on FACE Act cases but was not sure if it even exists.
Republican critics and pro-life advocates argue that the Clinton-era statute is weaponized against those who protect the sanctity of human life.
The DOJ has repeatedly stonewalled my friend @RepChipRoy’s requests for FACE Act data.
Joe Biden’s DOJ is desperate to hide the truth about its weaponization of this law against pro-life Americans.
Today, I pressed AG Garland to commit to finally providing this information. pic.twitter.com/ETM5Kamyjy
— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) April 16, 2024
The FACE Act was passed by Democrats to prevent protesters from using force or the threat of force to block entry into abortion clinics. But pro-life demonstrators face prosecution for the simple act of praying near an entrance.
Addressing Garland, Clyde noted that Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) “has twice requested a copy of the Freedom of Access to Entrance of Clinics Act prosecution data.” It has not been received.
The Georgia representative then asked “when will this data be provided by the Department of Justice?”
The GOP’s crusade for FACE Act data intensified when six anti-abortion demonstrators were convicted earlier this year over a Tennessee protest in 2021. The participants in the peaceful gathering face over 10 years in prison and staggering fines under the law.
The power of the administration also descended on four other protesters from the abortion clinic three years ago.
They were found guilty earlier this month of blocking the entrance to the Tennessee clinic. For their misdemeanor convictions they face up to six months in prison and fines reaching $10,000.
The latest group will be sentenced in July. It is just the latest example of the weaponization of the federal government against conservatives under the Biden administration.
The FACE Act of 1994 made it a federal crime to use or threaten the use of force to “injure, intimidate or interfere” with a person seeking an abortion. The Tennessee cases were prosecuted by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.
Clyde was not convinced by Garland’s answer. He later asserted that the president’s DOJ is intentionally suppressing the data requested by Republicans. This is data that many believe would prove that the Biden White House is actively persecuting the pro-life movement.
