Carrie Prejean Boller has been removed from the White House Religious Liberty Commission after Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who chairs the body, accused her of attempting to “hijack” a recent hearing focused on antisemitism in America.
Patrick announced the decision in a statement posted to the social platform X, making clear that he believed Boller had overstepped 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. This is clearly, without question, what happened Monday in our hearing on antisemitism in America. This was my decision,” Patrick wrote.
The controversy erupted after Boller, who wore both an American flag pin and a Palestinian flag pin to the hearing, shifted the discussion toward broader questions about Zionism and the state of Israel.
During her exchange with Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, Boller challenged the framing of antisemitism in relation to Zionism.
“I’m a Catholic and Catholics do not embrace Zionism. Just so you know. So are all Catholics antisemites, according to you?” she asked.
Minutes later, she pressed another witness, Jewish-American activist Shabbos Kestenbaum, about the ongoing war in Gaza.
“Since we’ve mentioned Israel a total of 17 times, are you willing to condemn what Israel has done in Gaza?” Boller asked. Kestenbaum previously sued Harvard University in 2024 over what he alleged was the school’s failure to protect students from antisemitism.
The exchange quickly became tense, prompting Patrick to intervene and bring the back-and-forth to a halt.
In the aftermath of the hearing, Boller resisted calls to step down. She posted on X that she “will never bend the knee to the state of Israel,” signaling she did not intend to back down from her position.
Patrick ultimately decided otherwise, formally removing her from the commission on Wednesday. His move drew praise from some corners of the conservative movement. Kestenbaum welcomed the decision, as did conservative influencer Laura Loomer, who had publicly called for Boller’s removal.
But others rallied to Boller’s defense. Commentator Candace Owens pushed back against Patrick’s characterization of events.
“Carrie didn’t hijack anything,” Owens wrote in response to the announcement. “Your decision will only further the Christian enlightenment which is taking place in this country. And for that, we thank you.”
Boller is no stranger to controversy. She first made national headlines in 2009 during the Miss USA pageant — which was run by President Trump until 2015 — when she delivered a widely discussed statement on same-sex marriage. Months later, she was stripped of her Miss California USA title over alleged contract breaches.
She was appointed to the Religious Liberty Commission by President Trump in May 2025.
Her removal underscores the sensitivities surrounding discussions of antisemitism and Israel, particularly within Republican circles, where debates over religious liberty and foreign policy can intersect. Patrick’s decisive action signals that, at least in his view, the commission’s work must remain tightly focused on its stated mission — without detours into broader geopolitical disputes.
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