Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., told Newsmax on Wednesday it was "unbelievable" how Attorney General Merrick Garland refused to answer directly questions about whether he considers Catholics extremists.
Garland testified during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, and he was questioned by Van Drew about an FBI memo that targeted traditional Catholics as potential domestic terrorists. The memo included having the FBI infiltrate churches with undercover agents to develop sources and report on suspicious activity.
"It's unbelievable. I asked him some simple questions," Van Drew told "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE." "He's the man in charge. He's the person responsible for the Department of Justice, for the FBI, and, of course, for the attorney general's office. And to be honest with you, so many awful things have happened.
"This is fact. This isn't something that just Jeff Van Drew or Republicans are saying. They were going to put undercover agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation into Roman Catholic churches. This is unbelievably wrong. We have freedom of religion in the United States of America. He's a smart guy and should know that."
Van Drew's questioning of Garland became heated when he pressed the attorney general on whether he believed Catholics are extremists. At one point, Garland, who is Jewish, said, "The idea that someone with my family background would discriminate against any religion is so outrageous, so absurd."
"All I asked him is that he believed that Roman Catholic churches were hotbeds of domestic terrorism," Van Drew said. "It took a lot for him to answer. He was offended [by the question]. He shouldn't be offended. It's his Department of Justice, his FBI that did this."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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