The Department of Justice removed information about the sex trafficking of children from its webpage, “Citizen’s Guide to U.S. Federal Law on Child Sex Trafficking,” War Room can reveal.
The shocking move follows another War Room exclusive report detailing how President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) removed “international sex trafficking of minors” from a separate DOJ website meant to outline the department’s focus areas.
The website for the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the DOJ’s Criminal Division contains a “Citizen’s Guide To U.S. Federal Child Exploitation And Obscenity Laws,” which appears to have undergone significant revision since the Trump administration.
Last updated on May 12th, 2023, the page previously listed the following U.S. code statutes:
- 18 U.S.C § 1591- Sex trafficking of children or by force, fraud, or coercion
18 U.S.C. § 2421- Transportation generally
18 U.S.C. § 2422- Coercion and enticement
18 U.S.C. § 2423- Transportation of minors
18 U.S.C. § 2425- Use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor
However, since President Biden took over the DOJ, the page only lists the following statutes:
- 18 U.S.C § 1591- Sex trafficking of children or by force, fraud, or coercion
The DOJ also erased nearly 350 words outlining the specifics of the aforementioned statutes, including a paragraph about the international and cross-border angle of human trafficking:
Section 1591 applies equally to American children (U.S. citizens or residents) who are prostituted within the United States, as well as foreign nationals (persons not a U.S. citizen or resident) who are brought into the United States and are then caused to engage in prostitution. The law also criminalizes any person who conspires or attempts to commit this crime.
Similarly, text about the criminality of prostituting children and attempting to engage in criminal sexual activity with minors was also removed:
“In addition, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421 – 2423 criminalize a variety of activities pertaining to the prostitution of children. For example, Section 2421 and 2423(a) make it a crime to transport an individual or a minor across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or any other illegal sexual activity. Unlike 18 U.S.C. § 1591, both of those statutes do require proof that the victim crossed a state line. If a minor is transported across state lines in violation of Section 2423(a), the penalty is not less than 10 years in prison, up to life. Section 2422(b) makes it a crime to use the U.S. Mail or certain technology, such as the Internet or the telephone (whether mobile or a land line), to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce a minor to engage in prostitution or any other illegal sexual activity. For example, it is a federal crime for an adult to use the mail, a chat room, email, or text messages to persuade a child to meet him or her to engage that child in prostitution or other illegal sexual activity. Under this statute, it is not necessary to prove that either the defendant or the victim crossed state lines. The penalty for this offense is not less than ten years in prison, up to life. Finally, 18 U.S.C § 2425 makes it illegal for any person to use the mail, telephones, or the Internet, to knowingly transmit the name, address, telephone number, social security number, or email address of a child under the age of 16 with intent to entice, encourage, offer, or solicit any person to engage in criminal sexual activity. This offense is punishable by up to five years in prison.”
The White House has still refused to provide an explanation for the previously discovered revisions to the DOJ website.
EXC: DOJ Wipes Information From ‘Citizen’s Guide To Child Sex Trafficking Laws.’