During an interview with Mobile radio's FM Talk 106.5, State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) slammed the Biden Department of Justice for a subpoena seeking "all information related to the non-profit's legislative activities promoting the Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion And Protection Act (VCAP) since 2017" from Eagle Forum of Alabama.
VCAP (SB184) was passed by the state's legislature and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey earlier this year. The law's stated objective is to protect minors from gender-altering medical procedures and drugs.
Eagle Forum called the Justice Department's actions "unprecedented" and "harassment" in a statement on Wednesday.
The Baldwin County lawmaker argued Eagle Forum should refuse to comply with the subpoena to say the federal government has lost its way.
"They've really picked on the wrong people here," Elliott said. "These women, Miss Eunie [Smith], Miss Becky [Gerritson], who advocate on behalf of conservative social issues, are some of the nicest, sweetest ladies that I know. Picking on them is going to do nothing but really embolden those of us who listen to them, who listen to their opinions on things. It's important, I think, for the Department of Justice to realize, and the entire federal government — their power and authority is derived from the consent of the governed. And they continue to act in the way that they are, I think you're going to see a whole lot less consent.
He continued, "And I think you're going to see it start here in Alabama, where people simply say, 'No, we're not going to comply. That's ridiculous. You've lost your way.’ And put the federal government, the Department of Justice and otherwise, in a position where they've got to take some other action. Who better to tell them, 'No, you've lost your way' than a couple of nice conservative ladies who are just going to fold their arms, look at them and tell them to go away, and do so respectfully? And I think that's what I expect those folks to do."
Elliott likened the tactics employed by the Justice Department to ones that one might see during a corruption investigation.
"Look, this isn't a corruption investigation of what monied interest group is trying to influence a politician or something like that," he added. "I mean, that's one thing if you're trying to root out corruption. These are nice, church-going, God-fearing ladies who are trying to preserve conservative family values in our society. That's their whole motivation. They're not getting rich off of it. They're not doing anything untoward. They're just talking about maintaining good conservative family values. And now you've got the Department of Justice asking them to jump through all kinds of hoops? They've lost their mind. And I think that they're going to find that the will of these ladies is really something to behold. And frankly, I'd take on the DOJ every day before I mess with the likes of the Eagle Forum ladies."
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com.
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