Carrie Prejean Boller was removed from President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission on Wednesday following remarks she made during a public hearing on antisemitism earlier this week.
The decision was announced by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who chairs the commission. In a statement posted to X, Patrick said the move followed what he described as Prejean Boller’s attempt to advance a personal political agenda during Monday’s proceedings.
“No member of the Commission has the right to hijack a hearing for their own personal and political agenda on any issue," Patrick wrote. “This is clearly, without question, what happened Monday in our hearing on antisemitism in America. This was my decision."
Prejean Boller, a Catholic activist appointed to the commission in June, drew criticism during the hearing when she asserted that anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism and stated that her faith prevents her from supporting Israel.
“I’m a Catholic, and Catholics do not embrace Zionism, just so you know, so are all Catholics antisemites?" she said, while wearing a pin featuring the American and Palestinian flags.
She also defended conservative commentators Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson against accusations of antisemitism. Owens later praised Prejean Boller on social media following her removal, accusing Patrick of staging what she called a “performative Zionist hearing" and claiming that Prejean Boller “spoke truth, as a Catholic." Owens’ post included inflammatory accusations against “Zionists" and was reposted by Prejean Boller.
Patrick, in his statement announcing the dismissal, emphasized the commission’s broader mission and its work under President Trump.
“The Commission has done outstanding work through five hearings. Two more are scheduled," he wrote. “The testimony has been both illuminating and heartbreaking."
He sharply criticized the previous administration, stating that “Under the Biden Administration, Americans of all faiths had their religious liberty not only stolen from them but were often punished for standing up for their faith."
Patrick said the commission will deliver a major report to President Trump this spring and praised the President for establishing the body.
“The President respects all faiths," Patrick wrote. “He believes that all Americans have a right to receive the great inheritance given to them by our founding fathers in the First Amendment."
Prejean Boller’s removal was welcomed by Shabbos Kestenbaum, an antisemitism activist who participated in Monday’s hearing and had previously called for her dismissal. Kestenbaum thanked Patrick publicly, stating that the hearing was intended to address threats facing Christian and Jewish Americans and not to debate Middle East policy.
The controversy underscores divisions that emerged during the commission’s hearing on antisemitism, with Patrick making clear that, in his view, the forum was not intended to serve as a platform for broader geopolitical arguments.