The following article is a supplement to the MRC Report: The Biden Administration Waged War on Free Speech with 57 Censorship Initiatives.
Initiative #35
The Targeted Prosecutions
Type of Censorship: Direct Action
Agencies Involved:
- Department of Justice
- Criminal Division
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Office of the Special Counsel Jack Smith
- Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California
- Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
- Tax Division
- Department of the Treasury
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Summary:
When it was not possible to target a political opponent directly for his or her speech, the Biden administration would instead come up with other, pretextual grounds to launch political prosecutions. The effect of this weaponized, unequal justice system was to generally chill speech and intimidate other would-be critics into self-censorship.
An MRC report detailed the various targets of the Biden regime’s lawfare. Among the victims of this Justice Department targeting were:
- A Dallas doctor concerned about child mutilation;
- The former director of the Office of Trade & Manufacturing;
- A libertarian crypto-activist who wrote a book criticizing the deep state;
- The former White House chief strategist; and
- The 45th and 47th president of the United States.
Key Individuals:
- Tina Ansari, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
- Peter Anthony, Trial Division Tax Attorney
- Nicole Argientieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division
- E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California
- Merrick Garland, Attorney General
- Stuart Goldberg, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Tax Division
- Alamdar Hamdani, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
- James Hughes, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California
- Matthew Klurge, Tax Division Assistant Chief
- Kenneth Polite, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division
- Daniel Werfel, Commissioner of Revenue
