More than 100 House Republicans have sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking that the Department of Justice to investigate the vandalism and violence directed at pro-life pregnancy centers across the United States as domestic terrorism.
Pregnancy centers across the country have come under attack since the leak of a draft opinion by the United States Supreme Court that would undo Roe v. Wade and return abortion law to the states.
The letter, led by Reps. Scott Franklin (R-FL), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Mike Johnson (R-LA), said, in part:
The department has a clear duty to pursue these recent attacks as instances of domestic terrorism, and it is the responsibility of the National Security Division to protect the United States from threats to our national security by seeking justice through law.
As you know, the Department of Homeland Security is anticipating further violence and unrest in the coming months upon the final release of the Dobbs opinion, stating that these threats are “likely to persist and may increase leading up to and following the issuing of the Court’s official ruling”.18 With this warning made clear, the Department of Justice must act swiftly to investigate and prosecute recent domestic terrorist attacks against pro-life organizations and dissuade future perpetrators of such violence. These attacks have the intended effect of chilling the free exercise of religion and speech, undermining the constitutional rights of Americans.
The letter included a “not entirely comprehensive” list of the 14 centers that have come under attack in Oregon, Wisconsin, New York, North Carolina, Washington, DC, Washington, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, and Colorado.
Other members of the House GOP leadership who also signed on to the letter, included House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer (R-MN).
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