{"id":2630456,"date":"2026-07-16T07:46:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tillis-doesnt-understand-difference-between-bidens-weaponized-doj-and-trumps-pursuit-of-justice\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T07:47:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:47:04","slug":"tillis-doesnt-understand-difference-between-bidens-weaponized-doj-and-trumps-pursuit-of-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tillis-doesnt-understand-difference-between-bidens-weaponized-doj-and-trumps-pursuit-of-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Tillis Doesn&#8217;t See Danger Of Biden&#8217;s Weaponized DOJ"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftillis-doesnt-understand-difference-between-bidens-weaponized-doj-and-trumps-pursuit-of-justice%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2630456&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Thom Tillis criticized the Biden governance&#8217;s alleged weaponization of the Justice Department during a confirmation hearing, claiming it mirrors past misconduct by Republicans. He argued for greater accountability and suggested that both parties have contributed to governmental abuses.While Tillis lamented recent actions,he dismissed the distinction made by Senator Eric schmitt,who clarified that holding officials accountable for weaponizing the justice system is different from engaging in weaponization.The article highlights examples of perceived Biden-era injustices, including the indictment and subsequent legal challenges faced by former President Trump, prosecutions of pro-life activists like Mark houck, and FBI actions against whistleblowers and conservative figures. Critics argue that the Biden DOJ has targeted political opponents and engaged in partisan conduct, such as spying on lawmakers and pursuing politically motivated prosecutions. The piece concludes that holding wrongdoers accountable is proper oversight, not weaponization, and stresses the importance of restoring trust in the justice system.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., tried to compare the Biden administration\u2019s weaponization of the Justice Department to the Trump administration\u2019s effort to clean up that abuse during Wednesday\u2019s confirmation hearing for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.<\/p>\n<p>Tillis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UKSOQtqeHx4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">opened his commentary<\/a> by stating he was \u201cgoing to ascent to the rarified air of the moral high ground for a minute.\u201d Tillis first acknowledged that Democrats refused to speak out against the weaponization of the DOJ under the Biden administration. But he then suggested the Trump administration is now doing the same thing the Biden administration did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was against that and I\u2019m also against some of the decisions of the president,\u201d Tillis said, referring to Democrats\u2019 weaponization and the alleged weaponization by Republicans. \u201cNow, my criticism of the administration with the red jersey (Republicans): January 6. I have searched Heaven and Earth and I haven\u2019t found anything except a passing comment at a C-Span conference, so can you tell me definitively that you think that any Capitol police officer who was harmed on January 6 was a victim of a heinous crime at the hands of the person who did it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blanche affirmed as much and noted individuals involved with violence were prosecuted. Tillis then resumed criticizing the current administration. <\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong>\u201cI want leadership that says \u2018we\u2019re gonna ratchet things down and <em>not<\/em> make the heinous mistakes that the Biden administration did\u2019. Let\u2019s be better than them, not better at prosecuting people that maybe we shouldn\u2019t \u2014 or take a little bit more time before we indict them \u2014 but let\u2019s just be better than them. Let\u2019s set an example and stop this spiraling,\u201d Tillis said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis administration has done the same thing to justify some of their behavior \u2026 we are at this place today in part because of the actions of the Biden administration and the weaponization that I even saw under Garland who I generally supported. Let\u2019s just be real here people,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/02\/the-senate-gops-legacy-will-be-killing-accountability-for-dem-lawfare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tillis<\/a> then shifted his attention to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-announces-anti-weaponization-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund<\/a> \u2014 which was designed to redress claims of those who believe they were the victim of Biden\u2019s weaponization of justice \u2014 and said it should never be paid out.<\/p>\n<p>But <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MediasLies\/status\/2077421141702914128?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sen. Eric Schmitt<\/a>, R-Mo., explained during that same hearing the distinction that Tillis apparently doesn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you go after your political opponents, that is weaponization,\u201d Schmitt said. \u201cWhen you hold people accountable who weaponize the justice system, that\u2019s not the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s right. Holding those who weaponized the system of justice accountable is not the same as weaponizing it. In fact, as The Federalist Managing Editor <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/09\/only-prosecutions-can-end-dems-doj-weaponization-but-media-pretend-thats-not-obvious\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Elle Purnell wrote<\/a> in these pages, \u201cthe best way to end the political weaponization of the bureaucracy is to punish the weaponizers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yet critics of Trump (like Tillis) purposely ignore that important distinction, which only downplays the severity of the weaponization seen in Biden\u2019s DOJ.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden DOJ appointed Jack Smith as special counsel, and he indicted Trump in June of 2023 on 40 felony counts for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-launches-2024-presidential-bid\/\" title=\"... Launches 2024 Presidential Bid\">allegedly mishandling classified documents<\/a>. Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case one year later, ruling Smith\u2019s appointment was unconstitutional. Smith also secured an indictment against Trump for his speech questioning the outcome of the 2020 election. The Supreme Court narrowed the scope of the case vis-a-vis their immunity ruling, and Smith later moved to dismiss the charges after Trump won the election.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Douglass Mackey was prosecuted and sentenced to seven months in jail on charges of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edny\/pr\/social-media-influencer-douglass-mackey-sentenced-after-conviction-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conspiracy to interfere<\/a> with voters\u2019 potential right to vote\u201d for having posted a meme during the 2016 election encouraging people to vote for Hillary Clinton via text. His conviction was later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jonesday.com\/en\/practices\/experience\/2025\/07\/douglass-mackey-secures-unanimous-appellate-win-overturning-his-conviction-in-highprofile-criminal-case\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unanimously tossed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, more than <a href=\"https:\/\/thomasmoresociety.org\/pro-life-family-man-arrested-in-raid-by-armed-fbi-seeks-dismissal-of-federal-charges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two dozen\u00a0Christian pro-lifers<\/a> were persecuted by the Biden DOJ under the FACE Act for <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/24\/christopher-wray-says-fbi-does-not-target-peaceful-pro-lifers-the-stats-prove-otherwise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">peacefully protesting<\/a> against abortion. Some of those arrested included people who simply prayed and sang hymns outside abortion facilities, as The Federalist\u2019s Jordan Boyd <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/19\/yes-bidens-department-of-justice-wants-to-imprison-peaceful-pro-lifers-for-praying\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>. The most notable victim was Mark Houck, who protected his son from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomasmoresociety.org\/case\/united-states-of-america-v-mark-houck\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">abortion activists<\/a> at a demonstration across from Planned Parenthood in 2021. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailysignal.com\/2022\/12\/09\/fbi-arrested-pro-life-dad-mark-houck-now-hes-accusing-doj-viewpoint-discrimination-selective-prosecution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">administration<\/a> used FBI agents armed with <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/10\/04\/with-new-documents-the-biden-administrations-targeting-of-a-pro-life-dad-just-got-crazier\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">battering rams<\/a> and ballistic shields to arrest Houck at his home in front of his family. His <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/09\/26\/fbi-raids-pro-lifers-home-arrests-him-in-front-of-his-kids-after-ignoring-pro-abortion-terrorism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">family<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifesitenews.com\/news\/fbi-raids-home-of-catholic-pro-life-speaker-author-with-guns-drawn-as-his-terrified-kids-watch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recounted<\/a> that agents \u201chad big, huge rifles pointed at Mark and pointed at me and kind of pointed throughout the house.\u201d Houck was later <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/01\/30\/mark-houck-pro-life-dad-targeted-by-biden-regime-acquitted-of-trumped-up-charges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cleared<\/a> by a federal grand jury.<\/p>\n<p>Nor was the Biden DOJ\u2019s targeting focused on high-profile cases.<\/p>\n<p>A 2024 Inspector General report, along with transcripts of one FBI official\u2019s 2023 interview with the House Judiciary Committee, \u201cshows that the FBI\u2019s strategy for retaliating against whistleblowers involved suspending their security clearances without explanation or warning,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/15\/fbi-weaponized-security-clearances-to-punish-whistleblowers-ig-report-confirms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Boyd<\/a> wrote in these pages. That same inspector general report also found that \u201cthe FBI\u2019s partisan leadership is currently engaging in a \u2018purge\u2019 of agents who hold conservative political beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/18\/bidens-doj-indicts-texas-doctor-who-blew-the-whistle-on-radical-gender-experiments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Boyd also reported<\/a> in 2024, the DOJ pursued a four-count indictment against a Texas doctor who blew the whistle on Texas Children\u2019s Hospital in Houston for performing gender mutilation surgeries. Meanwhile concerned parents who showed up at school board meetings were labeled possible \u201cdomestic terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/10\/10\/bidens-fbi-spying-on-political-enemies-is-what-weaponization-looks-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">also spied<\/a> on Republican members of Congress by <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >targeting lawmakers\u2019 personal cell phones<\/a> for \u201ctolling data\u201d as part of the FBI\u2019s Arctic Frost investigation, which was used to justify the lawfare against Trump\u2019s challenges to the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p>Holding those engaged in that conduct accountable is <em>not<\/em> the same as weaponizing the Department of Justice, and the sooner \u201cRepublicans\u201d like Tillis understand that, the sooner trust can be restored in these systems. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tillis claims DOJ weaponization is similar under Biden, Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2630457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-15-at-5.33.25-PM-scaled-e1784151296405-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3620,3667,7076,4762,5894],"class_list":["post-2630456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-biden","tag-bipartisan","tag-doj","tag-legislation","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-15-at-5.33.25-PM-scaled-e1784151296405-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2630456"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2630460,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630456\/revisions\/2630460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2630457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2630456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2630456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2630456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}