Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi made a string of promises to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Wednesday after the senator zeroed in on the Biden administration’s aggressive use of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act to prosecute anti-abortion advocates.
Hawley pointed to the Biden administration’s record-high number of FACE Act prosecutions and the lopsided nature of them.
The Department of Justice, under President Joe Biden, has brought dozens of cases against defendants accused of attacking, vandalizing, or blocking entrances to abortion facilities. Meanwhile, the DOJ has brought two cases against those who have attacked pregnancy counseling centers or churches, which are also protected under the FACE Act. Hawley noted there had been hundreds of unaddressed attacks on the latter types of facilities.
“Will you protect churches and pregnancy care centers when they are targeted for violence, when they are targeted for intimidation?” Hawley asked.
“Yes, senator,” Bondi replied.
Hawley also asked if Bondi would “stop the disparate treatment of Americans on the basis of religious faith” and “stop the deliberate persecution of pro-life Americans for nothing more than their pro-life beliefs?”
“Yes, senator,” Bondi replied each time.
The Missouri Republican also raised a controversial internal document issued by the FBI Richmond Field Office in 2023 that took aim at certain “traditionalist” Catholics and recommended infiltrating their churches to seek out potential informants.
FBI Director Christopher Wray was questioned repeatedly in congressional hearings about it. He responded by calling it an “appalling” memo and emphasized that he had retracted it and investigated its origins.
“Under your leadership, will you put a stop to the use of FBI or Department of Justice resources to try and recruit informants or spies into Christian churches or any church or house of worship in this country on the basis of nothing more than faith?” Hawley asked.
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“Of course, senator,” Bondi said.
Hawley also asked if Bondi would conduct her own investigation into the origins of the document, noting that he was not aware of any discipline any FBI agents received for crafting it. Bondi replied by saying she would “personally read that memo” and “discuss it” with FBI director nominee Kash Patel, if he is confirmed.