A member of the federal Religious Liberty Commission has been ousted after a hearing this week that featured tense exchanges on the definition of antisemitism. The ousted member, Carrie Prejean Boller, had defended prominent commentator Candace Owens, who routinely shares antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Prejean Boller, a model turned conservative activist who converted to Catholicism last year, denied that Owens had ever said anything antisemitic, quoted a Bible verse that attributed the death of Jesus to Jews and pushed back on the idea that some people mask antisemitism in their criticism of Israel.
“No member of the commission has the right to hijack a hearing for their own personal and political agenda on any issue,” said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, chair of the commission, in a statement February 11. “This is clearly, without question, what happened Monday in our hearing on antisemitism in America. This was my decision.”
Prejean Boller challenged Patrick’s authority to remove her, saying only President Donald Trump has that power. In a post on the social media site X, she said Patrick’s actions “reflect a Zionist political agenda.”
The hearing took place as the commission, created by Trump last year, is the subject of a new federal lawsuit this week from progressive religious groups. The suit says the panel fails to represent diverse views and religions and consists almost entirely of conservative Christian members.
Prejean Boller’s removal came amid a wider, increasingly contentious debate over whether the right should give a platform to commentators espousing antisemitic views.
It followed a hearing Monday in Washington that was focused on antisemitism. It featured multiple witnesses, including first-hand accounts of students and others who said universities failed to protect Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Prejean Boller, the 2009 Miss California, drew criticism during the Miss USA contest that same year when she said she believed marriage should only be between a man and a woman. She became politically active in subsequent years, supporting Trump’s presidential runs and criticising such things as COVID-19 restrictions.
The hearing was the latest of several by the commission, which has featured testimony accusing the administration of former President Joe Biden of allegedly repressing religious freedom in different ways. The commission is preparing to deliver a report to Trump this spring.
