WASHINGTON — Anti-abortion advocates met with Justice Department officials on Wednesday, just hours after the Trump administration fired a prosecutor for working too closely with abortion rights groups during the Biden administration.
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John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life, arrived at the Justice Department headquarters holding a folder with his organization’s name on it. “It’s a dead giveaway,” his colleague joked after NBC News mentioned the folder.
According to the group’s website, the group aims to advance “the human right to exist in culture, law, and policy,” and advocates for defunding the Planned Parenthood program, which has accused Americans for Life of misleading attacks.
Mize said she was there for a meeting with civil rights officials. It is not clear who started the meeting.
Mize said the Justice Department wanted to praise the report released this week by the Trump administration’s Weaponization Task Force, which he said was dedicated to uncovering what Trump officials say was a misuse of the Justice Department to go after Trump, his allies and other right-wing groups during the Trump administration.
The report found that the Justice Department during the Biden administration “worked closely” with abortion rights groups, including the American Abortion Federation, Planned Parenthood, and the Feminist Majority Foundation, to enforce the Freedom of Admission to Clinics Act (FACE), which was passed in 1994 in response to attacks on abortion clinics and providers.
The Justice Department fired at least four people on Monday in connection with the report, according to NBC News. A spokesperson said they were responsible for weaponizing the law.
“We were just applauding the government and the Justice Department for taking action,” Mize said outside the Justice Department about an hour and a half after joining.
He told NBC News that the revelations about the work of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and their cooperation with the Justice Department are “troubling” and “horrifying.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday criticized prosecutors on Fox News for “working with NGOs and non-profits” to target anti-abortion activists.
“Let me tell you, there are no emails in my inbox from NGOs telling me what to do,” he said.
Blanche told NBC News that the report shows the Biden administration-era Justice Department is “working very closely with outside organizations” to “go after pro-life individuals.”
A Justice Department official told NBC News on Wednesday that Mize did not meet Harmeet Dhillon in person. Harmeet Dhillon heads the department, and some Trump supporters have argued that he should be promoted to a more prominent position at the Justice Department after Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“At the Department of Justice, the Civil Rights Division meets regularly with interest groups from all perspectives, and we set our litigation priorities to be consistent with the administration’s priorities,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a written statement.
Asked if they discussed anything other than the implementation of the FACE Act, Mize said the “trigger” behind the meeting was the FACE Act report.
Asked to clarify the difference between his group’s work with the Justice Department and the group criticized in the report for working with the department under the Biden administration, Mize began by saying, “We’re not targeting abortion supporters…” but then paused.
Mize contrasted the group’s claims with the actions of anti-abortion groups that he believes have improperly cooperated with the Justice Department under the Biden administration. He said his organization does not encourage unequal enforcement of the FACE Act.
Mize said he would “absolutely” support prosecution under the law if there were “militant pro-lifers” who wanted to kill abortion doctors.
The Weaponization Task Force’s report was not a regular Justice Department product. exposed internal communications and criticized past actions of long-term employees; Reviews of past operations are typically conducted by bipartisan staff in the Office of Inspector General.
