By PETER SMITH, Associated Press
A member of the federal Religious Liberty Commission has been ousted after a hearing this week that featured tense exchanges on the definition of antisemitism. The ousted member, Carrie Prejean Boller, had defended prominent commentator Candace Owens, who routinely shares antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Prejean Boller, a model turned conservative activist, denied that Owens had ever said anything antisemitic, quoted a Bible verse that attributed the death of Jesus to Jews and pushed back on the idea that some people mask antisemitism in their criticism of Israel.
“No member of the commission has the right to hijack a hearing for their own personal and political agenda on any issue,” said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, chair of the commission. “This is clearly, without question, what happened Monday in our hearing on antisemitism in America. This was my decision.”
The hearing took place as the commission, created by President Donald Trump last year, is the subject of a new federal lawsuit this week from progressive religious groups. The suit says the panel fails to represent diverse views and religions and consists almost entirely of conservative Christian members.
Prejean Boller’s removal came amid a wider, increasingly contentious debate over whether the right should give a platform to commentators espousing antisemitic views.
It followed a hearing Monday in Washington that was focused on antisemitism. It featured multiple witnesses, including first-hand accounts of students and others who said universities failed to protect Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Prejean Boller had sharp exchanges with witnesses during the hearing. Seth Dillon, CEO of the conservative satirical site The Babylon Bee, which routinely lampoons progressives, was there to testify that conservatives need to push back against a growing antisemitic movement on the right.
Prejean Boller challenged him, questioning whether critics of Israel should be considered antisemitic. Dillon said no, but that context matters. There are “people who try to conceal their antisemitism under the guise of merely criticizing Israel,” he said.
Prejean Boller also questioned whether social media sites should be pressured to ban quotations of a Bible verse that attributes the death of Jesus to Jews. And she disputed Dillon’s criticisms of Owens, saying she had never heard her say anything antisemitic.
“You should look up more of her statements,” Dillon said, citing such things as Owens saying her critics were “of the synagogue of Satan.”
Prejean Boller, the 2009 Miss California, drew criticism during the Miss USA contest that same year when she said she believed marriage should only be between a man and a woman. She became politically active in subsequent years, supporting Trump’s presidential runs and criticizing such things as COVID-19 restrictions.
The hearing was the latest of several by the commission, which has featured testimony accusing the administration of former President Joe Biden of allegedly repressing religious freedom in different ways. The commission is preparing to deliver a report to Trump this spring.
Also this week, various faith groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York, challenging the makeup of the commission.
The lawsuit was filed by the progressive Interfaith Alliance as well as Muslim, Hindu and Sikh organizations.
It argued that the 1972 Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that any advisory committees be fairly balanced among competing viewpoints.
The lawsuit says the commissioners, “consisting of almost exclusively Christians with one Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, represent the narrow perspective that America was founded as a ‘Judeo-Christian’ nation and must be guided by Biblical principles.”
It said this excludes people of other faiths and no religions, as well as those in the Judeo-Christian tradition who “are committed to religious freedom and pluralism, and reject Christian nationalism.”
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
