Tipsheet

The 'Devout Catholic' Biden Administration's DOJ Made a Point of Targeting Nuns

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  April 30, 2026 10:00 AM

When the Left pretended to be offended on behalf of Catholics after President Trump's spat with Pope Leo, this writer pointed out why their sudden concern rang hollow. For years, the Democrats have tried to push policies that punish Catholics, including in Washington state, where Democrats tried to make priests break the seal of the Confessional, by weaponizing the FACE Act against pro-lifers, including Catholics, and the push to label traditional Catholics as domestic terrorists.

In New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, the Democrats are also attacking Catholic nuns. In the Empire State, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who provide end-of-life care for the poor, are fighting Democrats' trans policies that would force them to house men with women and use preferred pronouns. The Little Sisters of the Poor, who have been dragged through the courts for a decade thanks to Obama, are still fighting New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which insist the Catholic sisters provide abortions and birth control to their employees.

But it goes so much deeper than that. Now we've learned that prosecutors with the Biden Justice Department talked about prosecuting nuns. And now one of those prosecutors is running for Congress in Virginia.

Here's more (emphasis added):

Communications obtained by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) show Joseph Cooney and Molly Gaston texting one another in February 2021 as they scoured media coverage of January 6. The texts specifically reference a New York Times photo of religious sisters who attended the “Stop the Steal” rally, wearing traditional habits and veils, as well as big Trump scarves around their necks.

“I would like to take a special assignment of finding and prosecuting them,” Gaston wrote to Cooney.

“I’m with you,” responded Cooney. “Although I’d like to prosecute any nun who still wears the head habit.”

“Hahaha,” his fellow DOJ prosecutor responded.

The Justice Department provided the communications to Grassley as part of his investigation into Arctic Frost, an FBI investigation into Republicans and conservatives. Both Cooney and Gaston went on to serve as top deputies to Special Counsel Jack Smith throughout his Arctic Frost investigation. They now head “Gaston & Cooney PLLC,” and Cooney is running for Congress in Virginia.

Realize where we are. We have Biden DOJ prosecutors talking about prosecuting nuns for expressing their First Amendment rights. This includes wearing traditional religious garb.

There it is, in black and white.

And Cooney laughed about it before running for Congress.

The Democrats don't respect people who have sincere, orthodox religious beliefs.

That puts a target on anyone who supports President Trump.

The Biden DOJ was dangerous, and we're just starting to learn how dangerous.

A house cleaning is needed. Democrats have vowed to weaponize the government agaisnt President Trump, his family, ICE agents, and supporters. It is imperative the Trump administration does everything it can to throttle these efforts now.

They are anti-Catholic bigots, which is why you shouldn't listen to them when they pretend to be so offended by anything President Trump says about Pope Leo. These people would throw Pope Leo in prison if they could.