President Joe Biden's Department of Justice (DOJ) has not just been politicized and weaponized to go after his most likely rival for the 2024 election, former and potentially future President Donald Trump, but also peaceful and prayerful pro-life activists. Six pro-lifers were found guilty on Tuesday of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, and could face 11 years in federal prison.
Footage shared over X by Greg Price shows the activists gathering outside of the hallway outside the Carafem Health Center Clinic in Nashville, Tennessee on March 5, 2021, where they prayed, sang hymns, and urged women to go through with having an abortion.
"FACE ACT" and "Biden's DOJ" have both been trending over X on Tuesday night.
BREAKING: Six pro-life activists were just found guilty in federal court after being prosecuted by Biden's DOJ under the FACE Act for protesting outside a Nashville abortion clinic.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 30, 2024
Here's a snippet of the protest, which occurred on March 5, 2021.
For the crime of praying and… pic.twitter.com/UPzZvtZebM
The guilty verdict for all six defendants came on the fifth day of the trial, as The Daily Wire reported:
Those on trial included Chet Gallagher of Tennessee, Coleman Boyd of Mississippi, Heather Idoni of Michigan, Cal Zastrow of Michigan, Paul Vaughn of Tennessee, and Dennis Green of Virginia.
All six defendants were found guilty of both counts. They are expected to be sentenced in July.
The conspiracy charge can be punished with up to 10.5 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $260,000 while the FACE Act charge can lead to one year in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The verdict was delivered on the fifth day of the trial, which took place at the Fred D. Thompson courthouse in Nashville. The case was overseen by Judge Aleta Trauger, appointed to the court in 1998 by then-President Bill Clinton.
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These six are among the co-defendants whose plight Mia covered at the time they were charged in October 2022. She similarly highlighted the terrifying force the FBI used when arresting one of the co-defendants, Paul Vaughn.
They're hardly the only defendants to be targeted by the Biden administration using the FACE Act. Last September, Mia also covered how five pro-lifers were found guilty in Washington, D.C., as she also highlighted the extreme, "mind-blowing bias" in the case.
🚨 One of the pro-life leaders targeted by Biden's DOJ sent me footage of the early morning FBI raid on his family home. Paul Vaughn was placed in handcuffs by armed FBI agents in front of his children just before school drop-off. Watch as his wife pleads for answers mid-arrest: https://t.co/lUP6tJOSzW pic.twitter.com/XeYComC6mZ
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) October 7, 2022
In 2022, the DOJ had also brought FACE Act charges against Mark Houck for an incident that occurred in October 2021, though it's also worth pointing out that charges had been dismissed by local prosecutors and he had been willing to turn himself in to authorities. Today marks one year since a jury found him not guilty. Houck has since announced he is running for Congress and that he has filed a lawsuit against the DOJ and FBI.
FBI Director Christopher Wray defended such tactics used on defendants like Houck during a House Judiciary Committee hearing when he was being questioned by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) last July.
SHOCK: FBI Director Chris Wray REFUSES to condemn armed raid and arrest of pro-life activist Mark Houck when questioned by @RepChipRoy:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 12, 2023
"I could not disagree more with your description of the FBI as 'tyrannical!'" pic.twitter.com/Vgx3QwqyY3
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and now Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sent a letter to Wray in October 2022 calling out the hypocrisy and one-sidedness in the lack of arrests against violent pro-abortion extremists. And, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in August 2022, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) also questioned Wray about the lack of information on arrests made against pro-abortion individuals.
In posting about the convictions on Tuesday night, Lee reiterated such hypocrisy from "Team Biden."
Roy and Lee have both introduced legislation to repeal the FACE Act, especially in light of convictions that came down against pro-lifers last year.
🧵 1. The FACE Act criminalizes an odd assortment of offenses, including blocking access to and vandalizing (1) abortion clinics, (2) places of worship, and (3) pregnancy centers.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 30, 2024
How many prosecutions has Team Biden brought in the second category?
Zero. Not even one. https://t.co/SbbYpGvh7P
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