A coalition of Republican lawmakers is demanding that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche launch a comprehensive investigation into the deaths of five infants whose remains were recovered from a Washington, D.C., abortion facility more than two years ago, according to The Daily Wire.
Utah Senator Mike Lee and New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith are leading the effort, joined by more than 50 other lawmakers who sent a letter to Blanche calling for a thorough examination of how the babies died. The remains were recovered by the Metropolitan Police Department in 2022 from the Washington Surgi-Clinic, which was operated by late-term abortionist Dr. Cesare Santangelo.
The timing of the demand is significant: Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general since April, is currently navigating a confirmation battle to become the permanent attorney general. He faced the Senate Judiciary Committee last week in a two-day hearing where lawmakers questioned him on various issues, including the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Key Senators Apply Pressure
Four of the letter’s signatories hold particularly influential positions: Senators Chuck Grassley, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Lee all serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Their support will be crucial for Blanche to advance to a full floor vote and ultimately secure confirmation.
In their letter, the lawmakers express frustration with what they characterize as years of inaction. “For four years, members of Congress have remained alarmed at this clear violation of life and law, but the Biden Administration Department of Justice refused to act,” they wrote. The remains are currently in the possession of the D.C. Medical Examiner.
The lawmakers are specifically asking Blanche to determine whether the babies “were victims of the crimes of infanticide or partial-birth abortion.” They want a “thorough investigation into the death of each child, including autopsies of the infants and the preservation of all collected evidence.”
Origins of the Case
The controversy began in 2022 when pro-life activists Lauren Handy and Terrisa Bukovinac discovered the infant remains in boxes outside the Foggy Bottom abortion clinic, shortly before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Instead of investigating the circumstances of the deaths, the Biden administration pursued criminal charges against the women who recovered the bodies.
Medical experts who examined photographs of the remains told The Daily Wire in 2022 that several of the babies appeared to have been victims of late-term abortions. At least one baby may have been killed using methods that would violate the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, they said.
One infant showed “deep lacerations to the posterior neck which presumably correlates to the method of abortion used to end her life,” according to doctors’ assessments. If the baby was alive when those cuts were made, it would constitute a direct violation of federal law, which criminalizes the partial delivery of a living child for the purpose of performing an act that intentionally ends the child’s life.
Estimates of Gestational Age
The lawmakers’ letter references medical estimates suggesting the babies were quite developed. One baby boy was estimated to be around 28 to 32 weeks gestational age. Another baby reportedly looked “like he should have been in the nursery” and was “about the same size as [her] granddaughter when she was born,” according to one observer quoted in the letter.
Lee and Smith had previously called on then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the case in 2022, according to The Daily Wire’s earlier reporting, but the Justice Department never responded or launched an investigation.
Pressure to Destroy Evidence
The letter reveals a concerning development: after two years of inaction, reports indicated that the Justice Department advised the Chief Medical Examiner to dispose of the babies’ bodies. Congressional intervention was necessary to prevent their destruction.
“Fortunately, members of Congress were able to intervene with the Chief Medical Examiner and urge him to preserve the bodies,” Lee and Smith wrote in their letter.
The push for investigation has been ongoing. As recently as April, Republican Representatives Chip Roy of Texas and Andy Biggs of Arizona urged FBI Director Kash Patel to investigate the deaths.
Calls for Proper Burial
Beyond investigating the circumstances of the deaths, the lawmakers are also requesting that the babies receive proper burials. “We cannot undo the grievous, barbaric acts that killed these children in their most vulnerable stage, but we equally cannot allow such lawlessness and inhumanity to evade our justice system any longer,” the letter states.
The lawmakers express optimism that the new administration will take action where the previous one did not. “Under President Trump’s and your leadership, we are hopeful that these children will finally receive the justice they deserve.”
The Justice Department confirmed to The Daily Wire that it had received the letter and stated that “the appropriate personnel within the Department are reviewing it carefully.”
The investigation demand comes at a critical moment for Blanche, whose confirmation vote could hinge on how he responds to concerns from Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee who have championed this issue for years.
Source: www.dailywire.com โ https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-republican-senators-make-big-demand-of-todd-blanche-ahead-of-confirmation-vote