Breen, the attorney with The Thomas More Society, says that the government’s decision to prosecute Houck is religious discrimination.
“We really wanted to start with viewpoint discrimination and religious discrimination because it’s clear that the Biden administration is targeting pro-life people and people of faith, and is doing nothing in hundreds of incidents of violence against pregnancy centers and churches,” Breen told CNA in a previous interview on a prior motion to dismiss the case.
Houck was arrested in September by several agents outside his home in Kintnersville in Bucks County while his wife and children looked on in fear. He was charged under the FACE Act the same day.
“A SWAT team of about 25 came to my house with about 15 vehicles and started pounding on our door,” Houck’s wife, Ryan-Marie Houck, told CNA the day of her husband’s arrest.
“They said they were going to break in if he didn’t open it. And then they had about five guns pointed at my husband, myself, and basically at my kids,” she added.
After news broke of the Catholic men’s ministry leader’s arrest, an outcry erupted across the country with criticism of the Biden administration and the FBI, and support for Houck.
On Jan. 10, the House of Representatives established a subcommittee to investigate “the weaponization of the federal government” against political opponents, including pro-life activists.
Following intense criticism of the FBI, the bureau issued a Sept. 26, 2022, statement disputing Ryan-Marie Houck’s account of the arrest.
“There are inaccurate claims being made regarding the arrest of Mark Houck,” the FBI’s Philadelphia office said.
“No SWAT Team or SWAT operators were involved. FBI agents knocked on Mr. Houck’s front door, identified themselves as FBI agents, and asked him to exit the residence. He did so and was taken into custody without incident pursuant to an indictment,” the statement continued.
Middleton, the former family spokesperson, responded to the FBI’s statement, telling CNA that “they’re turning this into a technical conversation about the representation of a woman who on Friday morning was awakened by a bunch of FBI agents armed with automatic weapons, some of them with body armor … pointing automatic weapons at her and her husband when they arrived in front of their children.”
(Story continues below)
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“This is absurd. If they’re not going to tell us the number, what they’re trying to do is make it look as if the Houcks aren’t telling the truth,” he said. “This isn’t a math contest. The issue is excessive force for the crime of maybe pushing another person.”
Joseph Bukuras is a journalist at the Catholic News Agency. Joe has prior experience working in state and federal government, in non-profits, and Catholic education. He has contributed to an array of publications and his reporting has been cited by leading news sources, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Catholic University of America. He is based out of the Boston area.