During an appearance on Fox News’s “Hannity” on Tuesday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) asserted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is “infiltrating” American churches and spying on its country’s citizens.
“Senator, did the attorney general of the U.S. just lie to you in that exchange?” host Sean Hannity asked. “Do we now know that?”
“Sure looks like it, Sean — sure looks like it,” answered Hawley. “Listen, he knew at the time that he couldn’t answer the question because it looks so bad. He knew that it looked beyond the pale, and it is beyond the pale, Sean, for the FBI to be going into any church in America and trying to spy on Americans, and now we know that’s exactly what they were doing. They are infiltrating churches. They are trying to spy on us.”
He continued, accusing the FBI of labeling churches as the enemy and treating religious Americans as being akin to terrorists.
“And, yeah, the attorney general sat right there and told me, no, we don’t do that, and now we know they do, in fact, target churches, and they have been,” added Hawley. “There’s got to be accountability for this, Sean. He’s got to be called on the carpet. The House needs to call him. The Senate should call him, too. But the Democrats will never do it.”
Hawley shared a clip from the exchange on Twitter, charging in his caption, “The FBI did in fact try to infiltrate churches. The Attorney General misled Congress. And this administration is treating Christians like criminals.”
Now we know. The FBI did in fact try to infiltrate churches. The Attorney General misled Congress. And this administration is treating Christians like criminals pic.twitter.com/YCw1KGFG4g
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) April 12, 2023
In related news, Hawley reportedly forwarded a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this week in which he alleged the DOJ is undertaking an “assault on American Catholics.”
“Let’s be clear: your Department has decided to turn Catholic congregations into front organizations for the FBI, and when asked about it, you’ve decided to fudge the truth before Congress,” Hawley’s letter reads. “This is an unconscionable assault on American Catholics’ First Amendment rights and an abdication of your duty to enforce the law without fear or favor.”
Garland has not issued a response to Hawley’s letter, according to Mediate.
