Smith, Chris RSS Articles

WATCH: 'Chris Smith: The Congressman Who Wrote America's Trafficking Law'

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

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On World Day Against Trafficking in PersonsReps. Smith, Mfume form new Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus in the House

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Reps. Smith (R-NJ) and Mfume (D-MD) speak at their Capitol Hill press conference on the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act of 2025 (HR 1144) on April 23, 2026.

On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) announced that they will be co-chairing the new, bipartisan Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Reps. Smith and Mfume also noted that they will be working alongside Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who plans to form a complimentary Caucus in the Senate.

The Caucus—named in honor of famed abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass—will serve as a bicameral effort and the principal forum in Congress dedicated to advancing legislation that prevents human trafficking, protects victims and survivors, prosecutes traffickers, and strengthens partnerships with survivors across government, civil society, faith-based organizations, law enforcement, and the private sector.

“I am honored to announce the formation of the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus alongside my Co-Chair, Rep. Mfume, who is fiercely committed to ending the modern-day slavery that is human trafficking,” said Rep. Chris Smith, the author of the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) (PL 106-386).

“Human trafficking is an ever-evolving crime, as traffickers are constantly finding new ways—both in-person and virtually—to exploit, manipulate, and abuse victims. To meet these changing and challenging demands, this Caucus will work tirelessly to advance new anti-trafficking legislation—especially and including the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act of 2025 (HR 1144), which Rep. Mfume and I introduced earlier this Congress—that uplifts and empowers survivors and raises awareness of this global problem.”

“Today, on the annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, I am proud to stand alongside Representative Chris Smith as we form this bipartisan Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus,” said Congressman Kweisi Mfume.

“Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and a scourge on our collective humanity. Nearly 27 million people worldwide are trapped in forms of forced labor and human bondage, and Americans in all 50 states have been victimized as well. We owe it to every survivor and victim to pass comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation out of the Congress and send it to the President’s desk. This Caucus and anti-trafficking organizations across the country represent proof of our collective intention to get that done, no matter how long it takes,” he continued.

In addition to announcing the formation of the Caucus, Reps. Smith and Mfume urged the U.S. House of Representatives to quickly take up HR 1144 for debate and a vote.

“The House passage of the Frederick Douglass TVPRA will bring us one step closer to finally eradicating this modern-day slavery,” said the two lawmakers. “Delay means denial for the millions of men, women, and children currently trapped in trafficking situations. We are working every single day—especially and including World Day Against Trafficking in Persons—to get this critical legislation over the finish line to protect critical funding and programs.”

HR 1144, developed in close collaboration with several survivor-leaders, upgrades and expands the U.S. government’s toolkit for fighting human trafficking by authorizing more than $1.2 billion in federal funding over the next five years. Once enacted, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act of 2025 will:

Reauthorize and bolster anti-human trafficking programs across numerous federal agencies, including the State Department, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Health and Human Services;
Ensure robust prosecutions for human trafficking crimes, along with thorough investigations and jail time commensurate with the crime;
Authorize the first-ever housing program for survivors, ensuring wrap-around case management, including education, life skills training, mental health services, and employment assistance;
Continue funding the Angel Watch Center, a program mandated by Smith’s International Megan’s Law (PL 114-119) that prevents convicted child sex offenders from exploiting and abusing children abroad;
Train instructors and students within elementary and secondary schools, in an age-appropriate manner, on building situational awareness, self-esteem, and resources to prevent, identify, and respond to human trafficking; and
Strengthen partnerships among federal, state, and local authorities.

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Fox News article on Smith-signed letter to NJ Gov. Sherrill'House Republicans confront NJ governor over 6,600 noncitizens registered to vote in alleged software failure'

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

By Leo Briceno, Elizabeth Elkind
Published July 24, 2026 at 8:32pm EDT

Nineteen House Republicans are demanding answers from New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on how approximately 6,600 self-identified noncitizens were registered to vote and cast 400 ballots in what the state described as a software failure.

The group put the question to Sherrill in a letter published on Friday afternoon.

"Despite those answers, a software failure reportedly transmitted their information for voter registration between June 2023 and June 2024. This was not a minor clerical discrepancy," the group wrote in the letter. "It was a catastrophic breakdown of the most basic safeguard in our election system: ensuring that only eligible American citizens are registered and permitted to vote. How do you know this was just a software glitch and not a nefarious act?"

The letter continues to underscore Republican-led concerns that lawmakers are inviting election security liabilities without passing legislation to shore up voter identification and implement federal standards to ensure proof of citizenship.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill pictured shortly after taking office in January. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

Its signatories included Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, R-N.J., and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., two of New Jersey’s three Republican congressmen.

Notably, the third, Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., did not join.

The system failure originally came to the public’s attention when Sherrill disclosed the issue in an announcement on Tuesday.

"Last week I learned that a serious software error in New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle System led to the registration of roughly 6,600 people who indicated that they were not U.S. citizens between June 2023 and June 2024, almost three years prior to my taking office," Sherrill said.

Then-New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. speaks to the media after casting her vote on November 4, 2025 in Montclair, New Jersey. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

"These individuals answered ‘no’ when asked on a keypad whether they were a U.S. citizen when applying for drivers' licenses and identification cards, but through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway."

Republicans in their letter listed a series of questions they said the state should answer, including what testing it normally conducts for voter roll maintenance, the specific counties where the improper ballots were cast, and whether Sherrill’s administration would support voter-ID legislation.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill casts her ballot at a polling location inside Hillside Elementary School in Montclair, N.J., on Nov. 4, 2025, during the New Jersey gubernatorial election. (John Lamparski/Bloomberg)

"Republicans have been sounding the alarm for years about weaknesses in voter-registration systems, inadequate voter-roll maintenance, and the danger that noncitizens may be registered and permitted to vote in national elections, which is illegal under federal law," the letter stated.

The group has requested a response to its questions no later than Aug. 21, 2026.

This article was published on July 24, 2026 and can be found online at: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-confront-nj-governor-6600-noncitizens-registered-vote-alleged-software-failure

HR 9893, the Stop Support for UNRWA Act of 2026Smith introduces legislation to permanently bar U.S. contributions to ‘child soldier factory’ UNRWA

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, today introduced legislation to permanently prohibit the United States government from making any voluntary or assessed contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has a lengthy history of espousing and distributing antisemitic rhetoric and materials.

Republican Reps. Darrell Issa (CA-48), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Tom Kean (NJ-07), Andy Barr (KY-06), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Young Kim (CA-40), María Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Joe Wilson (SC-02), and Randy Fine (FL-06) joined Rep. Smith in introducing the Stop Support for UNRWA Act of 2026 (HR 9893).

“For more than 23 years, I have been sounding the alarm on UNRWA and its longstanding record of antisemitism and Jew hatred,” said Smith, who authored and introduced an amendment to a State Department budget bill to shift all U.S. funding away from UNRWA based upon its antisemitic actions and publications as early as 2003.

“UNRWA is one of the chief drivers of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, and the United States government should play no part in supporting or financing this hate-filled organization’s operations.”

The Stop Support for UNRWA Act of 2026—which Smith also introduced during the 118^th Congress—notes that individuals, entities, and/or agencies that receive humanitarian assistance from UNRWA through secondary organizations will not be barred from U.S. funding, so long as “the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that such agencies or entities do not promote, espouse, or affiliate with entities or individuals that promote violence, terrorism, or antisemitism, or employ individuals who do the same.”

“As I have said many times before, UNRWA is antisemitic from top to bottom,” continued Smith. “Through its textbooks and materials praising terrorist groups and condemning the Jewish people, this organization teaches Palestinian children to hate Jews—essentially functioning as a child soldier factory.

“During both terms, President Trump rightly halted U.S. funding for UNRWA over credible reports that the organization was infiltrated by members of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and its employees were involved in Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacre.

“My legislation will codify President Trump’s actions, ensuring that they cannot be easily reversed by future Democrat administrations. As a leader in the global fight against antisemitism, the United States must defund and deplatform organizations or entities that malign the Jewish faith and incite violence against the Jewish people,” Smith concluded.

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JNS article on Smith's new UNRWA bill'New House bill would bar United States from donating to UNRWA'

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

By Jonathan D. Salant
Published July 23, 2026

The United States would be banned from making donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency under legislation that Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) introduced on Thursday.

“For more than 23 years, I have been sounding the alarm on UNRWA and its longstanding record of antisemitism and Jew-hatred,” stated Smith, co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism.

Smith, who introduced similar legislation in the last Congress, said that UNRWA has a long history of using antisemitic rhetoric and distributing antisemitic materials.

The former offices of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem, Jan. 20, 2026. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

“UNRWA is antisemitic from top to bottom,” he stated. “Through its textbooks and materials praising terrorist groups and condemning the Jewish people, this organization teaches Palestinian children to hate Jews, essentially functioning as a child soldier factory.”

Agencies and people that receive humanitarian assistance from UNRWA through other agencies would not be cut off from U.S. funds as long as “the secretary of state certifies to Congress that such agencies or entities do not promote, espouse or affiliate with entities or individuals that promote violence, terrorism or antisemitism, or employ individuals who do the same,” the bill states.

Earlier this month, Lawler and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J) introduced legislation to dismantle UNRWA altogether and provide humanitarian aid via other organizations.

This article was published on July 23, 2026 and can be found online at: https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/new-house-bill-would-bar-united-states-from-donating-to-unrwa

Bill passes HouseRep. Smith pushes the Stop Insider Trading Act

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Stop Insider Trading Act (HR 7008).

“Today, I supported—and the House passed—critical legislation to enhance transparency and accountability for Members of Congress and their families, as well as bolster the security of our elections,” said Smith, an original cosponsor of HR 7008.

The Stop Insider Trading Act will unequivocally prohibit Members, their spouses, and their dependent children from purchasing securities issued by publicly traded companies. Members and their families will also be required to file a public disclosure prior to selling any stocks they already own.

Those who violate this law, if enacted, will be charged with a fine equal to $2,000 or 10% of the value of the transaction—whichever is greater—as well as any net gain emanating from the transaction.

“The use of non-public information for personal gain by any government official is cause for grave concern and immediate action. Government officials who engage in insider trading, whether it be through prediction markets or through traditional stock market exchanges, can and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” continued Smith, who has historically supported legislative action to ban congressional stock trading.

“Additionally, the Stop Insider Trading Act includes a provision that will require prospective voters to display valid photo identification prior to casting a ballot in a federal election—especially timely in wake of yesterday’s revelation that New Jersey’s voter-registration system registered approximately 6,600 non-U.S. citizens to vote between June 2023 and June 2024, with 400 of them going on to cast ballots,” Smith stated.

Those unable to vote in-person will just need to enclose a copy of their photo ID, the last four digits of their Social Security number, and/or an affidavit with their federal mail-in ballot. Eligible voters who do not present photo ID can still cast provisional ballots, but they must provide the required documentation within three days of voting.

“This legislation will help restore public trust in our Members of Congress and the security of our federal elections,” Smith explained. “Members cannot and should not use their public office and insider information to line their pockets. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to quickly take up this critical legislation for a vote.”

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EWTN News article on Smith-led letter to DOJ'Nearly 60 lawmakers urge investigation of "D.C. Five" aborted babies'

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

By Tessa Gervasini
Published July 22, 2026 at 3:52 PM ET

Nearly five dozen U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) urging a federal investigation into the deaths of “the D.C. Five,” the five allegedly late‑term aborted babies recovered from a Washington, D.C., abortion clinic four years ago.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, along with more than 50 other GOP lawmakers, called on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to “comprehensively investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.”

The lawmakers also requested DOJ ensure the “children receive a proper and respectful burial once the investigation is complete and all responsible parties have been brought to justice.”

In 2022, “the D.C. Five” were found at the home of Catholic convert and pro-life activist Lauren Handy. The group Progressive Anti‑Abortion Uprising, a secular organization that demonstrates against abortion, said it obtained the remains from reported whistleblowers who believed the circumstances might have violated federal prohibitions on partial‑birth abortion or the failure to provide care to infants born alive.

U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. | Credit: Tanarch/Shutterstock

In the letter sent July 20, lawmakers said the babies’ remains are held by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Washington, D.C. Lawmakers are calling for autopsies to find out if the babies “were victims of the crimes of infanticide or partial-birth abortion.”

“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,” the lawmakers wrote.

“Under the Born Alive Infants Protection Act (1 U.S.C. § 8), these five children should have experienced equal protection under the law at any stage of development, including as abortion survivors,” they said.

According to the letter, doctors have estimated that at least one baby may have been aborted using the illegal partial-birth abortion method showing “deep lacerations to the posterior neck which presumably correlates to the method of abortion used to end her life.”

“If this baby girl was alive when the abortionist made these lacerations, then her death directly violated the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 (18 U.S. Code § 1531), which criminalizes the partial deliverance of a living child for the purpose of performing an overt act that intentionally takes the life of the child,” they wrote.

The lawmakers also said doctors estimated that one baby boy was about 28 to 32 weeks’ gestational age. One doctor said the baby looked “like he should have been in the nursery” and was “about the same size as [her] granddaughter when she was born,” the letter said.

DOJ, in a statement to EWTN News, said it “is aware of the Senators’ request and takes these matters seriously.”

“As with all allegations of potential criminal conduct, the Department will review the information carefully and will investigate any credible allegations of criminal actions. The Department remains committed to following the facts and the law wherever they lead,” the DOJ said.

The DOJ also shared that it has gathered and reviewed documents regarding the case and will be turning it over to Congress once it is finalized. If there are any crimes Congress identifies, the department said it will “certainly investigate those matters.”

Previous calls for investigation

Following the discovery of the babies, Lee and Smith also led an April 8, 2022, letter signed by 69 members of Congress demanding that former Attorney General Merrick Garland conduct an investigation.

DOJ “never provided a substantive response or indicated that any investigation had occurred,” the lawmakers said in the most recent letter. “On the contrary, after two years of inaction, reports indicated that the Department of Justice advised the Chief Medical Examiner to discard the bodies of the infants.”

“Fortunately, members of Congress were able to intervene with the Chief Medical Examiner and urge him to preserve the bodies,” they said.

The lawmakers said they were “encouraged” when former Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed in a June 2024 House budget hearing that DOJ was conducting an “ongoing investigation” into this case.

The lawmakers also noted a report signed by President Donald Trump that encouraged DOJ to “provide a briefing to the Committees on all actions previously taken by the Department on this issue within 180 days after the enactment of this act,” which would be on July 22 of this year.

This article was published on July 22, 2026 and can be found online at: https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/nearly-60-lawmakers-urge-investigation-of-dc-five-aborted-babies

LifeSiteNews article on Smith-led letter to DOJ'Republicans urge Trump DOJ to investigate brutally aborted late-term babies in DC'

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

By Calvin Freiburger
Published Wednesday, July 22, 2026 - 12:06 PM EDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — More than 50 Republican members of Congress are urging Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche to investigate the remains of unborn babies discarded years ago by an abortion facility in the nation’s capital for possible cases of infanticide that so far have evaded justice.

In 2022, the group Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) discovered the remains of five aborted babies (warning: graphic images) in a crate outside the Washington Surgi-Clinic in D.C., operated by notorious late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo. While the authorities refused to investigate, an initial medical examination indicated that some of them died by infanticide and partial-birth abortion, both of which are illegal.

But instead of investigating, the federal government took action against the pro-lifers who exposed them. In August 2022, a D.C. jury found the pro-life activists guilty of conspiracy against rights and violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act for blocking access to the Washington Surgi-Clinic in October 2020. President Donald Trump pardoned them and other pro-life activists during his first week back in office, but the possible crimes that they uncovered remain unsolved.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks alongside FBI Director Kash Patel at a news conference at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building on April 21, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

Now, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) are leading a letter urging Blanche to “comprehensively investigate the circumstances surrounding” those deaths, The Daily Wire reports.

“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,” the letter reads. “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. Under President Trump’s and your leadership, we are hopeful that these children will finally receive the justice they deserve.”

A Justice Department spokeswoman responded that the DOJ “is aware of the Senators’ request and takes these matters seriously. As with all allegations of potential criminal conduct, the Department will review the information carefully and will investigate any credible allegations of criminal actions. The Department remains committed to following the facts and the law wherever they lead.”

The abortion lobby has long attempted to paint infanticide as an imaginary problem, but the facts show that it is very real. “Although the United States fails to record reliable data on abortion survivors, we have estimated, through Canadian government extrapolations, that 1,734 infants are born alive after a failed abortion procedure every year in the United States,” says the Abortion Survivors Network. “In other words, about 2 out of every 1,000 abortions result in a live birth. After 49.5 years of Roe v Wade, 85,817 babies lived through an abortion procedure.”

In September 2024, the Family Research Council (FRC) wrote that “State-level abortion reporting statistics from nine states show that at least 277 infants have survived abortion since 2006.” Only eight states require reporting such data, and there are no federal reporting requirements on the subject, guaranteeing that the real number is higher. Several former abortion industry insiders and policy scholars have told Congress or admitted under oath that infanticide after failed abortions happens beyond the notice of official numbers.

Infanticide is technically illegal nationwide under the under the federal Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002. However, BAIPA “did not directly create civil or criminal penalties,” as admitted by a 2019 PolitiFact article (which nevertheless gave Trump a “False” rating on the subject, which LifeSiteNews dissected at the time). That law was “toothless and purely symbolic,” the article quoted University of Massachusetts law professor and Pro-Life Legal Defense Fund member Dwight Duncan as saying. Yet for at least the past decade, congressional Democrats have consistently voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would mandate basic medical care for abortion-surviving newborns with penalties that existing law lacks.

As of September 2024, only 18 states have laws requiring medical care for infants delivered alive after attempted abortions, according to FRC, leaving abortionists free to commit infanticide in a majority of the country.

This article was published on July 22, 2026 and can be found online at: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/republicans-urge-trump-doj-to-investigate-brutally-aborted-late-term-babies-in-dc/?utm_source=featured-news

Over 55 members of Congress send letterRep. Smith, Sen. Lee lead bicameral letter to DOJ urging investigation into barbaric deaths of five late-term, preborn babies at D.C. abortion clinic

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), and 55 other Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to thoroughly investigate whether the horrific deaths of five late-term, preborn babies at a D.C. abortion clinic could be attributed to the crimes of infanticide or partial-birth abortion.

Rep. Chris Smith, Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, said: “The Biden Administration’s deliberate and callous mishandling of the ‘D.C. Five’ case has been a stain on the Department of Justice for over four years now. These five beautiful, innocent babies—who were violently exterminated—deserve justice, accountability, and respect. All those involved and complicit in these children’s barbaric deaths must be held to account, and we are calling upon President Trump’s Department of Justice to ensure that these battered baby victims receive their day in court.”

Sen. Mike Lee, member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said: “Four years ago now, the bodies of five preborn children were found in DC, apparently victims of infanticide or illegal partial-birth abortions. Those babies have still not received justice or proper investigations. Americans cannot tolerate rogue abortion clinics performing gruesome murders and casting helpless victims aside like garbage, especially not in our Nation’s capital. This crime demands attention and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. I urge the Department of Justice to give this alarming case the full investigation it deserves, and the victims the proper autopsies and burials they are owed.”

In the letter, first obtained by The Daily Wire, the 57 members of Congress explain that the desecrated bodies of these children—one of which bore deep lacerations and injuries consistent with illegal partial-birth abortion procedures—were “recovered by the Metropolitan Police Department in 2022, after they were allegedly aborted in the Washington Surgi-Clinic operated by the late-term abortionist Dr. Cesare Santangelo.”

“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,” the Republican lawmakers write.

The letter—dated July 20, 2026—follows an April 2022 letter led by Rep. Smith and Sen. Lee and signed by 67 other members of Congress, which called upon Biden-era Attorney General Merrick Garland to conduct a “comprehensive investigation on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of each preborn baby.”

The current letter explains that President Biden’s DOJ “never provided a substantive response or indicated that any investigation had occurred,” and reports indicated that the agency even went as far as to advise “the Chief Medical Examiner to discard the bodies of the infants.”

In the letter, the members of Congress relay the expert findings of neonatal specialist Dr. Robin Pierucci, M.D.—who, upon viewing the publicly shared photographs of the deceased babies, said that she could “‘say with confidence that [four of] these babies died at an age when they were viable, premature people’”—and neonatologist Dr. Kendra Kolb, M.D., who posited that at least one child may have been killed from an illegal partial-birth abortion method, as one 28-30 week-old baby had “‘deep lacerations to the posterior neck, which presumably correlates to the method of abortion used to end her life.’”

The Republican lawmakers further argue that “if this baby girl was alive when the abortionist made these lacerations, then her death directly violated the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 (18 U.S. Code § 1531), which criminalizes the partial deliverance of a living child for the purpose of performing an overt act that intentionally takes the life of the child.”

Urging a renewed review of these tragic cases, the GOP co-signers note that former Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed in a June 2025 House budget hearing that the DOJ “was conducting an ongoing investigation into this case” and recall that a report signed by President Donald Trump encouraged the agency to “‘provide a briefing to the Committees on all actions previously taken by the Department on this issue within 180 days after the enactment of this act,’” which would fall on July 22, 2026.

“After years of inaction by the Biden Administration, we write to you again to reiterate these concerns and request that DOJ promptly complete a thorough investigation into the death of each child, including autopsies of the infants and the preservation of all collected evidence. Additionally, we request that you ensure these children receive a proper and respectful burial once the investigation is complete and all responsible parties have been brought to justice,” the members of Congress write.

“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. Under President Trump’s and your leadership, we are hopeful that these children will finally receive the justice they deserve,” the GOP lawmakers conclude.

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The Daily Wire exclusive article on Smith-led letter to DOJ'EXCLUSIVE: Republican Senators Make Big Demand Of Todd Blanche Ahead Of Confirmation Vote'

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

By Mary Margaret Olohan
Published July 21, 2026

A group of Republican lawmakers are urging acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to bring long-awaited clarity to the gruesome deaths of five premie-sized babies recovered from a Washington, D.C., abortion clinic in 2022.

Utah Senator Mike Lee and Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, along with more than 50 other lawmakers, are calling on Blanche to “comprehensively investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of five preborn children” whose remains “were recovered by the Metropolitan Police Department in 2022, after they were allegedly aborted in the Washington Surgi-Clinic operated by the late-term abortionist Dr. Cesare Santangelo.”

“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,” the lawmakers write in a letter exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire, noting that their remains are in the possession of the D.C. Medical Examiner and calling on Blanche to find out if the babies “were victims of the crimes of infanticide or partial-birth abortion.”

Blanche, who has been acting attorney general since April, is in the midst of a confirmation battle on Capitol Hill. Blanche faced the Senate Judiciary Committee last week in a two-day hearing where Republican and Democrat lawmakers alike questioned him about the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, among other issues.

Lee and three other signatories of Tuesday’s letter — Senators Chuck Grassley, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley — all serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blanche will need their votes to get to a full floor vote, and then for confirmation. As the committee prepares to vote, the signatories are calling Blanche to conduct a “thorough investigation into the death of each child, including autopsies of the infants and the preservation of all collected evidence.”

That is not all, however: they also want the babies to be properly buried.

“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 reads. “Under President Trump’s and your leadership, we are hopeful that these children will finally receive the justice they deserve.”

A Justice Department official told The Daily Wire on Tuesday afternoon that the DOJ has gathered and reviewed documents related to the DC Five and is in the process of finalizing that process and turning things over to Congress. Should Congress identify any crimes in the DOJ’s trove of documents, the DOJ will “certainly investigate those matters,” the official shared.

“The Department of Justice is aware of the Senators’ request and takes these matters seriously,” DOJ spokeswoman Kiersten Pels shared. “As with all allegations of potential criminal conduct, the Department will review the information carefully and will investigate any credible allegations of criminal actions. The Department remains committed to following the facts and the law wherever they lead.”

Pro-life activists Lauren Handy and Terrisa Bukovinac originally discovered the baby bodies in boxes outside a Foggy Bottom abortion clinic in 2022 shortly before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Daily Wire has extensively reported on Washington’s lack of interest in how these fully formed babies died.

Advocates and Republican lawmakers have sounded the alarm for years about these babies, warning that they appear to have been brutally and illegally aborted in violation of federal law, but the Biden administration took no steps to properly investigate the matter, instead targeting the women who recovered the bodies.

Doctors estimated to The Daily Wire in 2022 that several of the babies were the victims of late-term abortions — and that at least one baby may have been aborted using illegal partial-birth abortion methods, showing “deep lacerations to the posterior neck which presumably correlates to the method of abortion used to end her life.”

The lawmakers also point to the estimations of pro-life doctors, noting that one baby boy was estimated to be around 28 to 32 weeks, while another baby looked “like he should have been in the nursery” and was “about the same size as [her] granddaughter when she was born.”

Lee and Smith called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to conduct an investigation into the babies in 2022, as The Daily Wire first reported at the time, but the Justice Department never investigated or responded.

“On the contrary, after two years of inaction, reports indicated that the Department of Justice advised the Chief Medical Examiner to discard the bodies of the infants,” Lee and Smith write in their letter. “Fortunately, members of Congress were able to intervene with the Chief Medical Examiner and urge him to preserve the bodies.”

As recently as April, Republican Reps. Chip Roy (TX) and Andy Biggs (AZ) pushed FBI Director Kash Patel to investigate the babies and their deaths.

Editor’s Note: This piece was updated with additional comment from the Department of Justice.

This article was published on July 21, 2026 and can be found online at: https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-republican-senators-make-big-demand-of-todd-blanche-ahead-of-confirmation-vote