Those who spread the coronavirus intentionally may face criminal charges under federal terrorism laws, the Justice Department has warned, Politico reported on Wednesday.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen wrote in a memo to senior Justice Department officials, law enforcement agency heads and U.S. Attorneys nationwide that “threats or attempts to use COVID-19 as a weapon against Americans will not be tolerated.”
Rosen explained that “because coronavirus appears to meet the statutory definition of a ‘biological agent,’… if there are cases of “purposeful exposure and infection of others with COVID-19 .. [then] such acts potentially could implicate the nation’s terrorism-related statutes."
The deputy attorney general did not specify if there had been reports of any such cases or if his memo was merely a precautionary warning.
In addition, a task force has been established to deal with hoarding and price gouging of emergency supplies for the battle against the coronavirus, an issue alluded to by Attorney General Bill Barr earlier in the week when he said that hoarding of supplies such as masks would be prosecuted.
However, the Department of Health and Human Services has not yet officially designated the products the administration wants covered by the Defense Production Act, according to memos issued by Barr and Rosen.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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