Scoop: GOP senator suggests DOJ prosecute pro-Palestine student protesters

• Scott said in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday that pro-Palestine student groups "are conspiring to violate the civil rights of a religious minority."
• The push for federal actions comes after dozens of protesters breached an administrative building at Columbia University early Tuesday morning.

Scott questioned Garland on what steps the DOJ has taken to investigate and prosecute the leaders of prominent pro-Palestine groups.

• "Have you directed your Office of Civil Rights to investigate and prosecute the leaders of groups like U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, or Within Our Lifetime?" Scott wrote.
• Scott told Garland to "weed out" the sources that fund and organize the protests.

• The DOJ confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to comment.

The big picture: Protests have spread to campuses across the country.

• Schools like Columbia, New York University and Cornell have said that they will begin to suspend students involved in encampments.
• Arrests connected to the protests have been widespread too. At least 40 people were arrested at the University of Texas in Austin on Monday and nine were taken into custody at the University of Florida.

Go deeper: What pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses want