DOJ alleges 'systematic culture' of anti-Christian bias across federal agencies under Biden

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed Saturday that a Department of Justice investigation uncovered a "systematic culture" of anti-Christian bias across federal agencies during the Biden administration.

Blanche joined "Saturday in America" to discuss the 565-page report that details how the Biden-era FBI monitored Catholic priests and the IRS denied tax-exempt status to a Christian organization based on its religious teachings.

"What we found in that very deep, substantial report is it was much more than just a rogue agent. It was much more than just a field office or a prosecutor," Blanche told Kayleigh McEnany.

"It was actually a systematic culture issue at the Department of Justice to target Christians, to target people based upon their religious beliefs."

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The findings, published Thursday by a Justice Department task force, argue the Biden administration exhibited a pattern of behavior that undermined religious liberty. According to a DOJ press release, the administration used regulatory means to strip protections from people of faith.

"President Biden pushed policies to eliminate statutory protections for religious Americans that interfered with his policy goals," the DOJ report stated. "Although he failed to change federal law, under his direction, federal agencies used policy and regulatory means to accomplish the same goals."

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The report says the Biden administration labeled parental concerns at school boards as "threats" and dismissed federal workers' religious concerns about vaccine mandates as "insincere" or "not religious."

Another claim in the report states, "The Civil Rights Division under President Biden sidelined Christians in favor of preferred constituencies. It published materials suggesting that Christians could not be victims of religious discrimination, only other faith groups."

Blanche called the findings "extraordinarily disappointing," but emphasized that the current administration is moving to dismantle bias in the DOJ.

"President Trump said on day one that this was [going to] change, and I’m happy to report that it has changed," Blanche said.

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Former Attorney General Merrick Garland's emphasis on reproductive healthcare was another top focus of the report.

Republican lawmakers frequently confronted Garland over concerns about whether the DOJ's actions disadvantaged Christians. During a House hearing in 2023, Garland, who is Jewish and frequently references his family fleeing religious persecution in Europe in the 20th century, became emotional about the accusation. 

"The idea that someone with my family background would discriminate against any religion is so outrageous, so absurd," Garland told lawmakers.

The investigation was a direct result of President Donald Trump’s executive order, "Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias," which was designed to "immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ."

"It is the policy of the United States, and the purpose of this order, to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government," the executive order stated. "The Founders established a Nation in which people were free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or retaliation by their government." 

Fox News Digital reached out to a Biden representative for comment.

Fox News' Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.