Who gets targeted?

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EICHER: Well, it’s a pattern of bias that many people suspected, but now a Justice Department task force says it has the proof. 

A new DOJ report labels anti-Christian sentiment a “recurring theme” within the Biden administration. It wasn’t just an attitude; it resulted in direct government action. Officials say they’re moving to ensure it never happens again—but how did it start? 

Here is WORLD Opinions’ commentator David Closson.

DAVID CLOSSON: When the Justice Department released its report on anti-Christian bias at the end of April, much of the attention focused on the past—on what federal agencies did during the Biden administration.

But the more important question now is what comes next. 

Camille Varone is deputy assistant attorney general and a member of the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias. She appeared on the Family Research Council’s Washington Watch.

VARONE: This is a first step … there is another year of the task force, and there’s also ongoing effort within all of our different agencies to continue to look at what happened, to try to figure out if there were further injustices.

The task force says it found examples across multiple federal agencies where Christians faced discrimination or unequal treatment. Especially Christians holding traditional views on abortion, sexuality, and gender.

One major focus involved the Justice Department’s use of the FACE Act against pro-life demonstrators. According to the report, federal prosecutors sought significantly longer prison sentences for pro-life defendants than for abortion-rights activists accused of similar conduct.

The report also describes coordination between federal prosecutors and abortion-industry groups.

VARONE: We found that within the Department of Justice, prosecutors and investigators were working hand-in-hand with these outside pro-abortion non-governmental organizations, particularly the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood.

Varone says those organizations compiled dossiers on pro-life Americans—including social media activity, travel details, and even information about their children.

VARONE: They compiled all of this to give it to the Department of Justice … in case something might happen that DOJ may view as a potential crime.

The report also revisits the FBI memo linking so-called “radical traditionalist Catholics” to possible extremism, and it cites pressure placed on Christian foster families and faith-based agencies over gender and sexuality policies.

At the task force launch, then–Attorney General Pam Bondi said the administration viewed these cases not as isolated mistakes, but as evidence of a broader problem.

BONDI: Protecting Christians from bias is not favoritism, it’s upholding the rule of law and fulfilling the constitutional promise.

The report runs nearly 200 pages, with hundreds more pages of exhibits and supporting documents.

But the administration insists the goal is not merely retrospective. Todd Blanche is the acting Attorney General:

BLANCHE: This task force was created to make sure this never happens again in America. We will investigate what went wrong, uncover facts, and ultimately chart a path forward.

You don’t have to agree with every conclusion in the report to see the larger warning: Government power rarely stays confined to one administration—or one ideology. A government capable of punishing disfavored religious beliefs today can punish different beliefs tomorrow.

That's why religious liberty matters. Not merely as a protection for Christians, but as a guardrail for all.

For WORLD, I’m David Closson.

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