A total of 22 members of Congress have signed a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking for an explanation of the arrest of pro-life activist and Catholic speaker Mark Houck by nearly 30 heavily armed FBI agents in front of his seven young children.
The letter, endorsed by Congressman Chip Roy (R) among others, claims the FBI should have had an "extraordinary reason" to arrest Houck in such a manner and added that it appears to be an "extraordinary overreach for political purposes."
There is much to learn about the scope of FBI operations. In this case, given that local authorities in Philadelphia dismissed the charges against Houck at the state level, surely, the FBI must have an extraordinary reason to show up at a family's home with more than 25 heavily armed federal agents, and arrest a father in front of his seven children. At the moment, it appears to be an extraordinary overreach for political purposes.
The letter demands a response from Garland by Sept. 30.
Final Roy Daines Letter to FBI Regarding Houck Raid by VozMedia on Scribd
"A politicized FBI."
Roy told Fox News that "the raid on Houck" is just another indication of how politicized the FBI and Justice Department have become under President Joe Biden:
Attorney General Merrick Garland oversees an increasingly politicized FBI that seems bent on arresting U.S. citizens who do not align politically with the administration. Even more, the FBI needs a complete and total overhaul, and we must return primary law enforcement power to the states and get the Bureau out of the business of politics once and for all.
The congressman continued, asking Congress for explanations of the "irregularities committed by the FBI and Garland's Justice Department" and calls for "immediate accountability for the use of a SWAT team to detain Houck."
Congress owes the American people transparent accountability for all the wrongdoing committed by the FBI and the Garland Justice Department. The FBI should answer immediately for its apparent use of a SWAT team of 25-30 people with guns pointed at Houck in his home. We request an explanation for the excessive level of force used by the agents.
The FBI denied sending a SWAT team to Houck's residence. However, he did not respond to allegations that more than 25 fully armed FBI agents were sent to his home to arrest him that morning:
Inaccurate claims are being made regarding Mark Houck's arrest. No SWAT teams were involved. FBI agents knocked on the front door of Sr. Houck, identified themselves as FBI agents and asked him to leave the residence. He did so and was arrested without incident, pursuant to an indictment.
Houck case: a "terrifying and traumatic" arrest
Mark Houck is a well-known Catholic speaker and pro-life advocate who was arrested at his residence in a "frightening and traumatic" encounter. His wife Ryan-Marie Houck indicated that FBI SWAT members "started banging on the door" of their home "with huge rifles" despite the fact that their "children were screaming."
The warrant accused Houck of alleged violations of the of Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) law and allegedly stems from an incident in which the activist pushed a 72-year-old male abortion advocate who was accompanying women to a Planned Parenthood clinic to receive an abortion. Houck's family contends that the man had been harassing their 12-year-old son and Mark responded in a defensive manner.
His wife indicated that the incident had already been dismissed by the Philadelphia District Court, but somehow it was picked up by the Department of Justice.
