More On: domestic terrorism
Attorney General Garland must rescind the 'Terrorist' Parent Memo, according to Jim Jordan
Attorney General Merrick Garland's memo urging both the Justice Department and the FBI to pursue parents who attend school board meetings to protest about incorrect curriculum has been rescinded, according to a top Republican.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, chastised Garland this week for issuing a memo to the FBI and US attorneys instructing them to be on the watch for parental activity that a major school board group compared to "domestic terrorism."
"Over the last couple of weeks, Jordan has shot off letter after letter to DOJ personnel, demanding that they provide over facts about how they followed out Garland's early October instruction," according to Jordan, the Washington Examiner reported, adding:
The attorney general revealed last month that the DOJ and the White House communicated about the September [National School Boards Association] letter just before he issued his memo, with the NSBA letter urging the DOJ to look into deploying the Patriot Act. Garland’s memo directed the FBI “to convene meetings” with law enforcement “in each federal judicial district” to help “open dedicated lines of communication” for threat reporting.
“We want the memo rescinded,” Jordan told the outlet. “I think the only appropriate thing, the only fair thing, the only smart thing, the only logical thing, whatever words you want, is for Merrick Garland to say, ‘We are not charging these 94 U.S. attorney districts and the U.S. attorneys to work with law enforcement there to set up these dedicated lines of threat reporting’ — these snitch lines.”
"This extraordinary command is particularly concerning as it relates to the FBI given the FBI's unlawful surveillance on the Trump campaign and its shameful history of misbehavior and politicization," Jordan said in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray signed by him and 18 other Republicans last week.
Previously, Garland told Congress during sworn testimony that “FBI agents will not be attending local school board meetings.”
The Examiner noted further: “While Garland’s memo did not mention the National Security Division, the accompanying press release did, naming it as part of DOJ’s new task force. House Republicans have asked it to provide details. They sent letters to all 93 U.S. attorneys as well.”
“So, rescind that. Stop that. That is so authoritarian, big government — coming down on parents, moms, and dads — it’s just ridiculous and wrong,” Jordan demanded.
In addition, the GOP lawmakers want the NSBA to turn over all of its communications with the White House, alleging the parties were engaged in “collusion” in order to provide cover for the Justice Department to get involved in local school board issues. Previous reports have indicated the organization’s leaders were in touch with the Biden White House about its letter appealing for federal law enforcement assistance before it was published.
“My theory of the case is this was all coordinated from the get-go,” Jordan told the outlet.
“I think that’s worth looking into. I don’t see it as a primary motivation. I think the primary motivation was politics, and it was about chilling the speech, restricting the speech, limiting the speech of moms and dads,” Jordan said.
The Examiner adds:
Internal emails showed NSBA board members objected to sending the letter to Joe Biden, and the school boards group withdrew and apologized for the letter the day after Garland’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in late October. In addition, several state chapters under the NSBA quit in outrage over the letter.
Garland wouldn’t distance himself from his memo during Senate Judiciary Committee testimony last month, arguing that the NSBA’s follow-up apology “does not change the association’s concern about violence and threats of violence.”
Republican senators and congressmen, along with parent groups and various activists, have questioned whether Garland has a conflict of interest because his daughter’s husband, Xan Tanner, co-founded Panorama Education, an education company.
“Now, I do think there’s an obvious potential real connection there that is worthy of exploration, but my gut tells me that the main focus was this was politics. … But yeah, is there the added benefit of helping his family? It sure looks that way, and it probably should be investigated.”
