Trump DOJ settles with pro-life father of 11 after Biden-era FBI raid on family home

WASHINGTON, DC: Paul Vaughn has reached a seven-figure settlement with President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) after his arrest during a Biden-era investigation into a Tennessee abortion clinic protest.

The agreement marks the second seven-figure settlement reached by the Trump administration in a case involving a pro-life activist prosecuted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

It also comes as the department has adopted policies sharply limiting future abortion-related FACE Act prosecutions.

Trump DOJ expands reversal of FACE Act cases

Vaughn, a Christian father of 11, was among nearly two dozen pro-life activists prosecuted by the Biden administration after participating in a 2021 sit-in at a Tennessee abortion clinic, as per the Breitbart report published Wednesday, July 28.

Although he avoided prison and received three years of supervised release, President Donald Trump later pardoned him after returning to office, the report said.

According to Vaughn's attorneys, armed FBI agents conducted a predawn raid on his family home and arrested him in front of his wife and children.

"This family did nothing wrong. Paul prayed and sang. He bore witness to his faith and for that, the full weight of the federal government was brought crashing down on his front door before the sun rose," said Steve Crampton, senior counsel at Thomas More Society.

Crampton added that the settlement acknowledged "a profound injustice" and praised the Trump Justice Department for "having the courage to look at what its predecessor did, call it what it was—an abuse of power—and change course."

Paul Vaughn welcomes settlement as chapter closes

Vaughn said the ordeal "never should have happened" but that the agreement "brings an end to this portion of the story."

"I am grateful to the members of this Department of Justice who were willing to look honestly at what the prior administration did to our family and so many others and attempt to make it right," he said. 

He also thanked Trump for the pardon, the Thomas More Society for its legal representation and supporters "who stood with us in prayer."

He added, "This chapter is finally closed, and our family looks forward with gratitude and hope, as we continue to serve God, advocating for the most vulnerable among us without fear."

The Trump DOJ's "Weaponization Working Group" report said the Biden administration charged more than 45 pro-life defendants in over 20 FACE Act cases during its four years in office, describing that as a significant increase over previous administrations.

The report also said prosecutors "largely ignored attacks on pro-life pregnancy resource centers."

Policy changes follow second settlement

The department has since dismissed three civil lawsuits against pro-life activists and directed prosecutors to bring abortion-related FACE Act cases only under extraordinary circumstances, the report said.

Vaughn's settlement follows a similar seven-figure agreement with pro-life activist Mark Houck, who was arrested by the FBI after being charged under the FACE Act before later being acquitted, it added.

The report further said that the DOJ referred questions about Vaughn's case to the settlement agreement, which states the $1.2 million payment "is in no way intended to be, and should not be construed as, an admission of liability or fault on the part of the United States" and was reached "for the purpose of compromising disputed claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act and avoiding the expenses and risks of further litigation."