After Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) joined more than 120 lawmakers in sending a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) demanding an investigation into violence against pro-life groups, the DOJ responded to the congress members with silence.
“More than seven weeks ago, we woke up to headlines that the Supreme Court of the United States would likely overturn Roe v. Wade,” Rose said Thursday in a speech on the floor of the U.S. House. “I believe the leaker broke federal law in an effort to change the High Court’s ruling.”
“We’ve seen protests outside Justices homes, and in Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s case, we’ve seen an assassination plot,” Rose said. “We’ve also seen more than a dozen attacks on pro-life organizations across the country, including vandalism, destruction of property and even firebombing. This is why I joined more than 100 House Republicans in a letter urging the Department of Justice to investigate these attacks. They not only deserve to be a top priority for the DOJ, but we believe they should be investigated as instances of domestic terrorism. We must make it clear that we are a nation of laws, never [of] mob rule.”
He echoed a similar sentiment in an email statement earlier this week.
“Americans have the right to disagree with their government and petition it peacefully,” Rose said in the statement. “But coordinated, violent attacks against pro-life organizations do not fall under those protections and should be investigated as domestic terrorism. The Biden Administration was quick to maliciously and erroneously label concerned parents at school board meetings as domestic terrorists, so there should be no hesitation to label these agitators who spew violence against pro-life organizations as actual domestic terrorists to send the message that they will belatedly address the violence and mob rule taking place across the country.”
So far, the DOJ has not spoken publicly about the violence against pro-life groups, as the high-profile decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could overturn Roe v. Wade, is expected at any time.
Some of the acts of violence include the arson of a Wisconsin pro-life group’s office, and another at a pro-life pregnancy center in Buffalo, New York.
A man was also arrested in connection with an alleged plan to murder Justice Kavanaugh at his home, as referenced by Rose on the House floor.
While Rep. Rose says the DOJ did not respond to his and his colleagues’ letter, The Tennessee Star’s inquiry was forwarded to the FBI, who assured that an investigation into the attacks in ongoing.
“The FBI is investigating a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers and faith-based organizations across the country,” the law enforcement agency wrote to The Star on Friday; adding, “The FBI takes all threats seriously and we continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and will remain vigilant to protect our communities. We would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious or have information about potential threats to report it to law enforcement immediately, call their local FBI field office, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “John Rose” by John Rose. Background Photo “Department of Justice Building” by Baseball Watcher. CC BY-SA 3.0.
