Dan Patrick Removes Boller from Trump's Religious Liberty Commission

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, chair of President Donald Trump's Religious Liberty Commission, announced on Wednesday that he had removed member Carrie Prejean Boller from the advisory body following a contentious exchange during a hearing on antisemitism in America. The incident unfolded on Monday in Washington, D.C., where Boller, a recent Catholic convert and former Miss California USA, repeatedly challenged panelists on whether opposition to Zionism equates to antisemitism and questioned Israel's military actions in Gaza.

The commission, established by Trump to examine threats to religious freedom and recommend policies protecting First Amendment rights, held its fifth hearing focused on rising antisemitic incidents facing Jewish communities. Witnesses, including Jewish advocates who testified about harassment and exclusion during pro-Palestinian campus protests following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, described experiences of blocked access and calls for intifada. Boller, wearing a pin featuring both the American and Palestinian flags as a statement of solidarity with Gaza civilians, interjected to argue that Catholics do not embrace Zionism and that...