Republicans generally did a great job grilling Attorney General Merrick Garland Wednesday during his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He was repeatedly confronted about the overwhelming evidence of politicization at the Department of Justice, and his answers were pathetic.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) described the FBI’s pre-dawn raid on a pro-life Catholic family’s home in rural Pennsylvania. “Why did you send 20-30 SWAT-style agents … to [Mark Houck’s] house when everybody else had declined to prosecute and he offered to turn himself in?”

Garland defended the FBI’s heavy-handed intimidation tactics, saying that local Bureau officials made the decision based on what they believed was best for the safety of the arresting agents.

Really?

I’d like to see the “intelligence” that suggested a family with seven children was a serious threat to local law enforcement officers. They are the epitome of law-abiding citizens!

That’s why local officials refused to prosecute Houck in the first place. That’s why the civil suit against him was dismissed. That’s what the federal court just declared when it acquitted Mark Houck of all of Garland’s trumped-up charges.

These abusive government tactics were used for one reason and one reason only — to intimidate pro-life Americans.

Sen. Hawley blasted Garland’s non-answer, saying he was “abdicating responsibility.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) pressed Garland to explain why dozens of pro-life activists are being hunted down and prosecuted for blocking access to abortion clinics while only two pro-abortion radicals have been arrested for burning pregnancy resource centers and churches in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned.

What, other than politics, explains this obvious double standard of justice?

Garland’s response was that pro-life activists commit their alleged offenses in broad daylight, making them easily identifiable and easier to prosecute.

But the FBI’s priority should be arresting the violent radicals who are motivated by hate to commit arson, not peaceful activists who are motivated by love and their concern for innocent life to commit acts of civil disobedience. But pro-abortion politics is clearly Garland’s priority.

Speaking of pro-abortion politics, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) raked Garland over the coals for refusing to enforce the laws that prohibit demonstrations outside the homes of federal judges. Cruz sarcastically asked Garland, “How do you decide which statutes you enforce and which ones you don’t?”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) asked Garland if he was okay with putting transwomen (biological men who claim to be women) in women’s prisons, where these men can rape and sexually assault women. Graham noted that there are 1,200 requests from male inmates to be transferred to female prisons.

The obvious answer is, “Heck, no, senator! We should not increase the chances that female inmates might be abused.” But Garland couldn’t say that. Instead, he replied, “I think every person in prison has to be [afforded] dignity and respect.”

Translation: Garland is okay with men in women’s prisons because, like the rest of the insane left which has no respect for the privacy of women and young girls, Garland “respects” a male prisoner’s “gender identity” more than a female inmate’s safety.

Bibi Battles The Left

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is locked in a pitch battle with the radical left. Israel’s conservative governing coalition is attempting to enact much-needed judicial reforms that would give Israel the kind of balance of power that we and other Western nations have.

To do that, the Knesset is trying to make the left-wing Israeli Supreme Court a co-equal branch of government that cannot legislate at whim, which it currently does. In fact, some social scientists refer to Israel as a “juristocracy” — rule of judges — because of the tremendous power of the Israeli Supreme Court.

(If you would like to better understand the issue, I encourage you to watch this video by our friends at the Endowment for Middle East Truth.)

Netanyahu’s reforms have outraged the Biden Administration, as well as leftist and secular Israelis. They have been engaged in massive demonstrations, which are turning increasingly violent. The latest example involves Sara Netanyahu, Israel’s first lady.

Mrs. Netanyahu went to get her hair done Wednesday, but hundreds of protesters descended on the salon. She was trapped inside for hours as police clashed with demonstrators outside.

Where would leftists in Israel have gotten the idea to act like that? No doubt they watched how the left reacted to Donald Trump throughout 2020. No doubt they have seen how conservative politicians in America are routinely accosted and attacked. I wouldn’t be surprised if Biden appointees gave them the idea!

In a statement to the nation Wednesday night, Prime Minister Netanyahu called for calm, but warned, “The freedom to demonstrate is not a license to drive the country into anarchy, because a sovereign country cannot tolerate anarchy.”

By the way, this is reminder to pray for Israel. Many Christians believe that the establishment of the modern state of Israel is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Some worry that Israel might be edging toward civil war. Sound familiar?

In addition, there is the disturbing news that intelligence officials now believe Iran is just 12 days away from producing enough material for a nuclear weapon. This is an existential threat to Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu will have to act.

Joe’s Gotta Go

In yesterday’s report, we commented on the growing concerns about Joe Biden’s age and whether he’s up for four more years as president of the United States. It’s worse than we thought.

Biden raised lots of eyebrows Wednesday when he laughed and joked about a mother who lost two sons to fentanyl poisoning. Even accepting for the sake of argument that Biden’s main point was directed at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, the president shouldn’t appear to be mocking the suffering of a grieving mother.

But there’s more.

Earlier this week, the president issued a proclamation recognizing Women’s History Month. Of course, Biden had to brag about how pro-abortion he is in the proclamation. But, unfortunately, it seems the president doesn’t know what a woman is.

In the proclamation, Biden states that he will “defend reproductive freedom” for “all Americans — regardless of their … gender identity.” Well, gender identity is the left’s way of referring to people who are pretending to be something they aren’t.

So, Biden is fighting hard to ensure that men can have abortions, and the left is all in on that insane fantasy.

Not surprisingly, a new poll finds that 77% of Americans are concerned about Biden’s “health and mental acuity.” Only 35% felt Biden had the “competence” to be president. And 68% of voters said he is “too old” to seek a second term.

It’s worth noting that two and a half years ago, only just 28% of self-identified Democrats were concerned about Biden’s mental health. Today, 40% of Democrats are worried, and 48% of self-identified Democrats now feel that Biden is “too old” to seek a second term.