Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s comments yesterday:
It was not a good day for U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. He got his clocked cleaned by several members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. His failure to stem the tide of violence against pro-life Americans, many of whom are Catholic, is not debatable.
As Sen. Mike Lee pointed out yesterday, there have been 81 violent attacks on pro-life crisis pregnancy centers, and 130 attacks on Catholic churches, but only two persons have been charged. Yet the Department of Justice (DOJ) has brought charges against 34 non-violent pro-life protesters. This is purely a function of politics. There is no other rational explanation for such a glowing disparity.
No domestic terrorist group has been more vocal and active in violently attacking pro-life individuals and institutions than Jane’s Revenge. They have claimed responsibility for at least 18 violent attacks on pro-life centers since the leak of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
It is bad enough that Garland’s DOJ has been missing in action in prosecuting Jane’s Revenge, it is mind-blowing to learn that Garland claims not to have known who they are until yesterday!
Here is what Sen. Marsha Blackburn said to him yesterday. “You told me earlier that you didn’t know who Jane’s Revenge is. They are all over Twitter.” Garland did not contest what she attributed to him.
Assuming he is not lying, why is it that no one on his staff ever bothered to apprise him of Jane’s Revenge? It’s not as though he hasn’t been contacted about their violence.
On June 10, 2022, Sen. Marco Rubio wrote to Garland about “radical pro-abortion groups, like Jane’s Revenge, that have relentlessly targeted pro-life centers, groups, and churches with arson, vandalism, and violence due to their pro-life views.”
On June 15, Rubio again wrote to Garland about Jane’s Revenge, saying they have now “doubled-down on its commitment to violence, threats and intimidation, writing that the ‘leash is off’ and it is now ‘open season’ on any pro-life group that refuses to close its doors.”
On June 16, 2022, Sen. Tom Cotton said Garland should resign over the DOJ’s failure to deal with Jane’s Revenge violence. “Houses of worship and pro-life pregnancy centers are under attack.”
On June 17, 2022, I wrote to Garland. “We have witnessed a rash of vandalism against Catholic churches, firebombings of crisis pregnancy centers (many of which are run by Catholics), Masses being interrupted, illegal protests outside the homes of Catholic Supreme Court Justices, and an attempted murder of one of the Catholic Justices. While there are several groups involved in these attacks, none is more dangerous than Jane’s Revenge.
“Jane’s Revenge is a domestic terrorist group, par excellence. Recently formed, it brags about blowing up crisis pregnancy centers. Worse, it is calling for a ‘Night of Rage’ on the day the Supreme Court is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade.”
I ended by asking him to take “aggressive action” against Jane’s Revenge.
Even though Rubio, Cotton and I independently alerted Garland to Jane’s Revenge, he appears positively clueless as to who they are. His ignorance is stunning.
Sen. Cotton is right—Garland should resign. If he doesn’t, he should be impeached.
Contact Kristen Clarke, Assistant AG: kristen.clarke@usdoj.gov
