President Trump's new religious-freedom blueprint doesn't just question the wall between church and state, it decrees it a mistake. A 224-page draft report from his Religious Liberty Commission argues that Americans should see religion as a "necessary support" for rights and urges the Justice Department to embrace an originalist reading of how the Constitution treats religion and government, the Washington Post reports. The commission argues faith-based groups partnering with the government shouldn't have to comply with laws that conflict with their beliefs, calls for restoring and compensating troops punished for refusing vaccines on religious grounds, pushes public schools to permit religious displays like the Ten Commandments, and wants the Johnson Amendment—which limits political activity by nonprofits—scrapped.
At an Oval Office event on Friday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, chair of the commission, said officials who cite church-state separation should be forced to spell out the constitutional violation, adding that the phrase "should have no power" going forward. The commission, made up of conservative Christians and one Orthodox Jew, is already being challenged in court over its lack of diversity and transparency. Plaintiff and Interfaith Alliance head Paul Raushenbush blasted the draft as a "Christian nationalist" wish list that ignores Islamophobia. He said it also didn't mention Trump's own attacks on Pope Leo XIV, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde, and other religious critics of "his administration's inhumane policies."
Trump created the commission last year, appointing Patrick and Dr. Ben Carson as vice chairs and Phil McGraw as a member. At a Faith & Freedom Coalition gathering in Washington on Friday, Trump praised the draft. "We saved religion, it was going down," he boasted. He also contended that the Biden administration carried out a "reign of persecution," per the AP. The report will be open for public comment until July 12.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
