Concerned Saline, Michigan parents are suing Attorney General Merrick Garland over a controversial memo (see below) saying the FBI would get involved in reports of violent acts against school personnel. American Freedom Law Center, filed the suit in US District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday.
Rep. Jim Jordan spoke to AG Garland today on the memo (video below) in a heated debate where Jordan said, “You said you’re not treating parents as domestic terrorists but the DOJ press release accompanying your memo says the national security division will be targeting school board meetings.”
The New York Post reports the civil suit is looking to protect the parents’ fundamental rights to freedom of speech and other rights of every American.
Amy Facchinello, a Grand Blanc school board member, cheers on a parent who spoke against the county’s K-6 school mask mandate on Monday, Aug. 30 in Flint, Mich. Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP
The lawsuit is seeking “a preliminary and permanent injunction enjoining the recently announced policy of the Attorney General to use federal law enforcement resources to silence parents and other private citizens who publicly object to and oppose the divisive, harmful, immoral, and racist policies of the ‘progressive’ Left that are being implemented by school boards and school officials in public school districts throughout the United States, including in the public schools in Saline, Michigan, and in Loudoun County, Virginia.”
The memo revealed the FBI would be leading in investigations and response to what he called “a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.”
The memo followed a request from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) for the FBI to get involved in the threats of violence to “domestic terrorism.”
“It seems quite obvious that it is meant to chill free speech and intimidate parents into silence and into obedience.” – Stephen Miller
Rep. Jim Jordan called out AG Garland on the memo today:
Rep. Jim Jordan ripped into Attorney General Merrick Garland today during a House Judiciary Committee hearing.
He called Garland out on the National School Board Association’s directive inferring that parents are “domestic terrorists.”
Jordan: “Did you discuss it with the White House”
Garland: “I did not… The WH is perfectly appropriately concerned about violence.”
Jordan: Did you or anyone at DOJ help the NSBA write the letter. Garland: I did not and I don’t know.
Jordan: “Will FBI agents be attending local school board meetings?”
Garland: No.
Jordan: You said you’re not treating parents as domestic terrorists but the DOJ press release accompanying your memo says the national security division will be targeting school board meetings.
Stephen Miller called Garland’s comments “disturbing”:
Everyone needs to go back and watch @Jim_Jordan question AG Garland on the Oct 4 Memo siccing the FBI on parents who object to CRT. Garland’s answers are deeply disturbing, raising the specter of potentially profound political interference at DOJ by WH & pro-CRT teachers’ unions.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) October 21, 2021
THE MEMO FROM GARLAND:
MEMORANDUM FOR DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION DIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR U.S. ATTORNEYS
ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, CRIM~~IVISfN
UNITED STATES A TTORNE~S
FROM: THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (_Ja,IU
SUBJECT: PARTNERSHIP AMONG FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, TRIBAL, AND TERRITORIAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO ADDRESS
THREATS AGAINST SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, BOARD MEMBERS, TEACHERS, AND STAFF
In recent months, there has been a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nation’s public schools. While spirited debate about policy matters is protected under our Constitution, that protection does not extend to threats of violence or efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views.
Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values. Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.
The Department takes these incidents seriously and is committed to using its authority and resources to discourage these threats, identify them when they occur, and prosecute them when appropriate. In the coming days, the Department will announce a series of measures designed to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.
Coordination and partnership with local law enforcement is critical to implementing these measures for the benefit of our nation’s nearly 14,000 public school districts.
To this end, I am directing the Federal Bureau of Investigation, working with each United States Attorney, to convene meetings with federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial leaders in each federal judicial district within 30 days ofthe issuance of this memorandum. These meetings will facilitate the discussion of strategies for addressing threats against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff, and will open dedicated lines of communication for threat reporting, assessment, and response.
The Department is steadfast in its commitment to protect all people in the United States from violence, threats of violence, and other forms of intimidation arid harassment.
