Rep. Roy, Sen. Cruz Demand Answers from AG Garland Over Alleged Spying on Pro-Life Group

WASHINGTON DC — Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) pressed Attorney General Merrick Garland for answers Wednesday about allegations that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) was secretly surveilling recent meetings of the pro-life group Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU).

“Allegations that the FBI is spying on pro-life gatherings in tandem with the rise in high-profile FBI investigations into pro-life Americans raise well-founded concerns for millions of Americans,” the lawmakers wrote. The American people deserve the truth – are their tax dollars and federal law enforcement agencies being used to spy on pro-life Americans?”

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Attorney General Garland,

Pro-life group Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) recently alleged on Twitter that an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant secretly recorded their meeting. “Eric Mike Santos” attended and taped a pro-life meeting at the Watergate hotel in Washington D.C. on January 19, 2023, according to the group. The recording was then used in federal court as evidence that PAAU Director of Activism, Lauren Handy, violated her terms of release.

Allegations that the FBI is spying on pro-life gatherings in tandem with the rise in high-profile FBI investigations into pro-life Americans raise well-founded concerns for millions of Americans. The American people deserve the truth – are their tax dollars and federal law enforcement agencies being used to spy on pro-life Americans?

We request a response to the below questions by March 8, 2023:
 

1. Did the FBI send an undercover informant to a pro-life meeting at the Watergate hotel on January 19, 2023?
2. For what reason(s) did the FBI and DOJ consider it necessary for an FBI informant to attend this pro-life meeting?
   1. Please provide all correspondence regarding the decision-making process for an undercover FBI informant to attend the abovementioned meeting on January 19, 2023.

3. Does the FBI regularly send undercover FBI informant to pro-life meetings?
   1. If so, please explain the rationale behind FBI informants attending pro-life meetings.
   2. Are these action in anyway related to ongoing investigations regarding violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act?

4. Explain the FBI’s rational for using bureau resources to spy on pro-life meetings?
5. Does the FBI view pro-life Americans as domestic terrorists?

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