Republican Senator Josh Hawley questioned Attorney General Merrick Garland during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over the FBI raid on a pro-life Christian man and accused the DOJ of having an anti-Catholic bias.
The FBI arrested Mark Houck in September 2021 for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, stemming from an altercation between Houck and a Planned Parenthood escort in Philadelphia.
Hawley criticized the DOJ for executing the search warrant in an extreme manner and turning a local dispute into a national case. Hawley also raised concerns over a Jan. 23 memorandum from the FBI field office in Virginia advocating for tripwire and source development against traditionalist Catholics.
Garland denied the accusation and called the document inappropriate. Hawley demanded that the DOJ take responsibility and hold agents accountable.