WASHINGTON, D.C (LifeSiteNews) – A senior official in the Department of Justice (DOJ) and former attorney for the ACLU called Alliance Defending Freedom a “hate group” and told another attorney he would not want to be associated with him anymore for speaking at an event sponsored by the Christian legal nonprofit.
“Honored to speak with Matt Sharp at Alliance Defending Freedom about the work we’re doing in Florida to protect kids from experimental medical interventions and to defend parental rights, all thanks to the leadership of Governor DeSantis,” Jason Weida, a former assistant U.S. attorney who now serves in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration wrote on LinkedIn.
“Jason, this is a hate group. You’re speaking at a conference for a hate group. Are these the beliefs you hold? If so, then it’s time we end our professional association,” Eric Bruskin, assistant director of commercial litigation, wrote in response. He appears to have deleted his LinkedIn or made it private, as the current version of the comment is different from the one first reported by the Daily Signal. His photo is no longer shown or are his pronouns.
The left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center considers ADF a “hate group” for its advocacy against homosexual “marriage” and in support of religious liberty. Mainstream media organizations like ABC News have repeated the slur based on the SPLC’s assertion.
LifeSiteNews emailed the DOJ press team on Thursday morning to ask what specific information Bruskin had reviewed before making his statements, if he had any regrets about it and if he believed that anyone who had worked for or with ADF on legal advocacy should be barred from working at the DOJ. It did not respond.
ADF’s media team did not provide comment in response to a morning inquiry.
DOJ has tried to downplay politicized image
The comments from a senior DOJ official come after Attorney General Merrick Garland has sought to downplay criticism of it as being political, following the unprecedented FBI raid on the home of former President Donald Trump. He recently released a new policy telling DOJ appointees not to attend campaign events and other overtly political events.
Garland has also faced criticism after he ordered federal law enforcement to keep a close eye on parents and other activists who spoke out at school board meetings against COVID policies and curriculum choices. Garland’s memo, which came after the Department of Education coordinated with the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to ask for federal help, led one federal prosecutor to draft his own memo detailing possible criminal charges to levy against parents.
The NSBA letter compared parents with domestic terrorists, including one parent who had come to speak out against the rape of his daughter at the hands of a cross-dressing male student. An earlier version of the letter considered asking the federal government to send in military police to help with unruly parents.
The Washington Examiner put Bruskin’s comments in the context of President Joe Biden’s recent speech attacking pro-life and fiscal conservatives as “threats” to “democracy.”
“Between Biden’s remarks, Bruskin’s labeling of the ADF as a ‘hate group, and the DOJ’s refusal to disavow the latter’s comments, a very clear message is being sent to pro-life Christians everywhere that Biden believes they, too, are a ‘threat to this country,’” the editorial board wrote. “Biden’s attack on all pro-life voters and Bruskin’s attack on Christian legal advocates are making it impossible for any conservative to trust Biden’s DOJ to enforce the law fairly.”