Catholic lobbyists urge Jim Jordan to probe DOJ’s handling of attacks on churches, pro-life centers

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A Catholic lobbying firm is pressing House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to open an investigation into the Justice Department’s efforts to arrest and prosecute people responsible for attacks on churches and pro-life centers in the wake of the leaked Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

CatholicVote, a national advocacy organization, sent a letter to Jordan this week in hopes he will launch investigations in DOJ’s response to what they say are nearly 300 "acts of violence and vandalism" against Catholic churches in the United States. 

Some of those attacks came in the wake of the protests after George Floyd’s death in 2020, and others targeted pro-life pregnancy centers since the leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion in the Dobbs case, which ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade.

The letter was sent days after DOJ announced it had made two arrests related to attacks on a pregnancy center in Winter Haven, Florida, the first arrests related to such attacks.

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.; Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind.; and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

"To date, the federal government has only found evidence to charge two individuals involved in only a handful of cases, despite hundreds of actual incidences of violence," wrote Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote. "These charges only recently came to light, indicating the more sunshine that Congress shines on the indifference of the DOJ, the more likely they will do their job.

"Since May 28, 2020, there have been 278 acts of violence and vandalism against Catholic churches in the United States."

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"[T]here have been 78 acts of vandalism and violence against pregnancy care centers since the Dobbs leak alone," Burch added. "Incidents include arson, statues and religious symbols defaced or destroyed, gravestones defaced with swastikas and anti-Catholic language and American flags next to them burned, along with other acts of destruction and vandalism.

Pro-choice extremist group Jane's Revenge targeted the wrong address at first when allegedly attempting to vandalize Jackson Right to Life's office building.  (Photo courtesy of Kathy Potts)

"Many of these incidents openly express hostility toward the Catholic Church and threaten its adherents because of our timeless defense of the sanctity of human life in the womb."

Burch noted the group has found evidence of arrests in "just 74 of the 278 cases, representing only a quarter of the attacks."

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Burch told Jordan the group in December 2021 asked the Department of Justice to "take decisive action in assisting state and local law enforcement in investigating the repeated attacks on churches in the United States."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio (Tom Williams)

About one year ago, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta told the organization Attorney General Merrick Garland had ordered a "15-day review to ensure that all appropriate resources are being deployed to protect houses of worship." 

Further, Gupta acknowledged the "department is taking numerous steps to address such violence, consistent with our commitment to combat unlawful acts of hate in all their forms,"

"Disappointingly, it now appears that the promises made in Associate AG Gupta's January 2022 letter were mere platitudes," Burch wrote to Jordan.

Jordan has openly criticized DOJ for its handling of these attacks, but, so far, no announcements on the Judiciary Committee's possible oversight of the issue have been made.

"Chairman Jordan, your well known reputation for fairness and dedication to the United States Constitution are to be applauded, and make you the ideal Chairman to exercise proper oversight over the actions of the Department of Justice," Burch wrote. 

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A spokesperson for Jordan did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.