Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy grilled a Department of Justice (DOJ) assistant attorney general for the civil rights division on Tuesday over the arrest of pro-life activist Mark Houck, who was later acquitted on all charges.
FBI agents raided Houck’s home and arrested him in front of his petrified wife and children in Sept. 2022 due to an altercation between Houck and a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic escort that took place the previous year when the escort began harassing Houck’s son. In January, a jury found Houck not guilty of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which makes it a federal crime to use force to intimidate, injure or interfere with access to “reproductive health care.”
“Have you apologized to [Houck] on behalf of the Department of Justice for that grave violation of his civil rights? Having his family have to watch him being raided at his home? And then he’s acquitted by a federal jury? Have you apologized to him?” Roy asked.
“We follow the facts and apply the law. That is our job, and we welcome opportunities to engage with other pro-life groups that may be experiencing threats or acts of violence,” Clarke responded. (RELATED: Pro-Life Activist Arrested For By FBI For Allegedly Pushing Planned Parenthood Clinic Worker)
“So the answer to that is no,” Roy interrupted, before yielding his time.
The United States Attorney’s Office accused Houck with assaulting a clinic escort named Bruce Love outside of a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood in Oct. 2021. The pro-life father pleaded not guilty, claiming that he pushed Love in the process of defending his 12-year-old son from verbal harassment.
Houck has since launched a congressional campaign to primary Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.
The DOJ under President Joe Biden has taken an aggressive stance toward pro-lifers, charging 11 anti-abortion activists with FACE violations in October. Seven of those defendants face up to 11 years in prison and $350,000 in fines.