Justice Department prosecutors in the Biden administration discussed their desire to target Catholic nuns, text messages shared with The Daily Wire show.
Communications obtained by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) show Joseph Cooney and Molly Gaston texting one another in February 2021 as they scoured media coverage of January 6. The texts specifically reference a New York Times photo of religious sisters who attended the , wearing traditional habits and veils, as well as big Trump scarves around their necks.
“I would like to take a special assignment of finding and prosecuting them,” Gaston wrote to Cooney.
“I’m with you,” responded Cooney. “Although I’d like to prosecute any nun who still wears the head habit.”
“Hahaha,” his fellow DOJ prosecutor responded.
The Justice Department provided the communications to Grassley as part of his investigation into Arctic Frost, an FBI investigation into Republicans and conservatives. Both Cooney and Gaston went on to serve as top deputies to Special Counsel Jack Smith throughout his Arctic Frost investigation. They now head “Gaston & Cooney PLLC,” and Cooney is running for Congress in Virginia.
(…) Cooney, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, is now running as a Democrat for a congressional seat in Virginia — specifically Virginia’s 7th congressional district, which is part of the Diocese of Arlington, one of the most traditional Catholic dioceses in the United States serving over 430,000 Catholics in the Northern Virginia area.
He’s running on an overtly anti-Trump platform, telling CNN last week: “Donald Trump needs to be impeached. I’m running for Congress to do it.”
Donald Trump needs to be impeached.
I’m running for Congress to do it. pic.twitter.com/aYTwrNwKm8— J.P. Cooney (@cooneycongress) April 25, 2026
(Read more: Daily Wire, 4/29/2026) (Archive)
ICYMI: Texts show two Biden DOJ prosecutors (who went on to work on Arctic Frost with Jack Smith) chatting about how they’d like to target Catholic nuns.
Molly Gaston: “I would like to take a special assignment of finding and prosecuting [the nuns]”@cooneycongress: “I’m with… https://t.co/StZcKOBE1i pic.twitter.com/OnbuoQm3wG
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) April 29, 2026
Biden DOJ really had an axe to grind against traditional Catholics! Ironic since we had a "devout Catholic" as president during these investigations: https://t.co/bTKRyAGZFD
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) April 30, 2026

