(LifeSiteNews) — The James Madison Center for Free Speech was set to host the private premiere of the documentary By Dawn’s Early Light on Monday night at the Trump Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Produced by the White House Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, the film seeks to elucidate a major report documenting systemic anti-Christian bias in the Biden-era Department of Justice (DOJ) and other federal agencies.
Chaired by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Task Force released its roughly 200-page report on April 30. Drawing from 17 federal agencies, over 1,100 footnotes, and hundreds of pages of exhibits, the document details how Biden administration policies and enforcement actions allegedly targeted Christians for living out their faith, particularly on issues of life, family, marriage, education, and conscience.
According to James Bopp Jr., general counsel for the James Madison Center, “this is not just any film – but an exposé of what the (DOJ) Task Force discovered and documented pursuant to Executive Order 14202,” which was issued by President Donald Trump on February 6, 2025, creating the Task Force.
“The full 90-minute film tells the story of what unfolded across the country as Americans of faith faced growing pressure to set aside deeply held beliefs in public life,” Bopp said in an email invitation to the private premiere. “In some cases, that pressure carried real consequences, including investigation, prosecution, and even jail time. These are not abstract concerns. They are recent, documented events that should concern anyone who values the First Amendment.”
Steve Crampton, who serves as senior counsel for the Thomas More Society and is featured in the documentary, told LifeSiteNews that in a certain way the Trump administration is actualizing the first imperative of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to “repent.”
“In a sense, the Trump DOJ is repenting for the sins of the Biden Department of Justice, which seems particularly appropriate” given the malfeasance of the latter in these particular abuses. “If this nation is going to get back on the right track and actually return to God, I think the acknowledgement of past wrongdoings is an essential first step, and this report and this film go a long way to doing just that.”
The attorney went on to describe a case of two clients he served from the U.S. Coast Guard who are featured in the film having resisted COVID “vaccine” mandates and were “stiff-armed” by the Biden DOJ despite “the fact that the law was overwhelmingly in our favor.”
“But the Trump DOJ has accommodated us with a settlement, again admitting to wrongdoing and correcting egregious wrongs in the system for handling conscientious objectors that object, not just to the COVID vaccine but to other procedures and other vaccines as well,” he celebrated.
“We tend to tell the story of how freedom is won. We celebrate the courage, the conviction, the moments where truth prevailed and liberty expanded. And we should,” Bopp added. “But there is another story that is far less often told until it’s too late: the story of how freedom is lost.”
“Not all at once and not with a single decision. But gradually, through pressure, silence, and the steady redefinition of what is acceptable,” he explained. “What once seemed unthinkable becomes normal. What was once defended is quietly surrendered. Often, it happens under the guise of necessity, safety, or progress. That is why this film matters.”
While its Task Force report champions religious liberty and protection of “deeply held beliefs” for Christians with regard to such evils as abortion and experimental vaccine mandates, the Trump administration has been criticized for what many charge to be significant violations of conscience and freedom of speech as well.
Since taking office early last year, the current administration has aggressively targeted people of all faiths, including Jews, Christians, Muslims and others—especially foreign and international students—for their protests opposing Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians, particularly in Gaza. Such targeting by the administration has been done through visa revocations, deportations, and funding threats to universities.
Hundreds to thousands of student visas were reportedly revoked for participating in protests, social media posts, or op-eds criticizing Israel’s aggressions in Gaza that critics frame as suppressing free speech and moral convictions rooted in justice and human rights.
READ: Is the Trump admin weaponizing the justice system against critics of Israel?
After the D.C. premiere, By Dawn’s Early Light will screen nationwide on May 31 as part of a “National Liberty Night Out” in theaters across the country and available for free at the film’s website.
“I think it’s really going to be good for the nation to go through this process,” Crampton continued. “We hope this is the beginning and not the end of efforts to correct some of the more egregious wrongs that we have seen up close and personal.”
“But, again, we’re glad to be here, glad to be a part of it and we’re really hopeful that this is the beginning of a really magnificent turn of events for America,” the pro-life attorney concluded.
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