Story by Gabriel Hays
Twitter users blasted U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday after he explained that the U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted more pro-life activists blocking abortion clinic centers than pro-choicers firebombing pregnancy centers because pro-lifers operate in the “daylight.”
Garland made the point that it was easier for the U.S. government to carry out justice against pro-lifers than pregnancy center arsonists in a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Wednesday.
Garland’s claims came after several U.S. senators, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, grilled him on what they perceived as a double standard in the DOJ’s treatment of pro-lifers versus violent pro-choice activists.
The conservative lawmakers suggested during the hearing that under Garland’s oversight, the DOJ and FBI had chosen to persecute pro-life Catholics and all but ignore the pro-choice activists that had vandalized and burned crisis pregnancy centers and Catholic churches.
While being questioned by Lee, Garland admitted the DOJ has prosecuted more pro-lifers than clinic arsonists, but only because pro-lifers operate in the daytime and therefore are easier to arrest than the pro-choicers who commit arson and vandalism in the night.
He maintained that the government still applies the law “equally.”
In a clip of the exchange, Lee stated, “In 2022 and in the first couple months of 2023, DOJ has announced charges against 34 individuals for blocking access to or vandalizing abortion clinics and there have been over 81 reported attacks on pregnancy centers, 130 on Catholic churches since the leak of the Dobbs decision and only two individuals have been charged.”
He asked, “So how do you explain this disparity by reference to anything other than politicization of what’s happening there?”
Garland replied by insisting the government applies the law equally in regard to the two parties. He said, “The FACE Act applies equally to efforts to damage, blockade clinics, whether they are a pregnancy resource center or whether they are an abortion center. It applies equally in both cases and we apply the law equally.”
The Attorney General admitted that the daytime setting of offenses by pro-life activists makes them easier to apprehend, which is why more have been brought to justice. He said, “You are quite right, there are many more prosecutions with respect to the blocking of the abortion centers but that is generally because those actions are taken with photography at the time, during the daylight, and seeing the person who did it is quite easy.”
He explained it’s harder to catch the pregnancy center vandals because they “are doing this at night, in the dark.” He added, “We have put full resources on this, we have put rewards out for this. The Justice Department and the FBI have made outreach to Catholic and other organizations.”
Twitter users blasted Garland’s defense as a lame excuse for the double standard. Several claimed he was lying by arguing the government was applying the law equally.
Digital strategist Greg Price shared the clip to Twitter and summarized Garland’s response, saying, “Merrick Garland says that the DOJ has prosecuted more pro-lifers for peaceful protests at abortion clinics than domestic terrorists firebombing pregnancy resource centers because the pro-lifers are doing it during the day and the centers are being bombed at night.”
National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker tweeted, “He is clearly lying here. We all know it.”
Popular pro-Trump account Catturd attacked Garland personally, asking, “Why is everyone in the Biden regime so dumb – they can’t complete a simple sentence?” He then wrote, “Dumbest AG in history – most corrupt AG in history.”
Conservative author Jim Hanson tweeted, “GARLAND: ‘We apply the law equally.’ You’re a damn liar.”
New York Post columnist Miranda Devine argued why Garland’s excuse wasn’t sufficient. She tweeted, “BS. The FBI analysis that declared traditional Catholics ‘domestic extremists,’ advocated undercover operatives to infiltrate and catch them out having Latin Mass and saying pro life things. There has been no such infiltration of Jane’s Revenge, Antifa or other abortion militants.”
Investigative reporter Julie Kelly wrote, “Same excuse as J6 vs Portland,” citing the government’s treatment of January 6 defendants versus those who attacked a federal courthouse in Portland during the George Floyd riots of 2020.
Political talk show host Jewels Jones commented, “Any fool knows that the time of day has absolutely nothing to do with it.”