Justice Department Official Criticizes Garland Memo Targeting Parents as ‘Stupid’ and ‘Political’
Recent internal emails from the Justice Department disclosed major misgivings about a 2021 memo issued by Merrick Garland. One official even suggested renaming the directive to the “Anti-MAGA Task Force,” highlighting its perceived political motivations. This memo was directed at parents voicing concerns at school board meetings regarding COVID-19 measures and critical race theory.
According to documents acquired by Fox News, the memo, intended to address what the Justice Department described as threats of violence and intimidation against school boards, led to a backlash within the department. As parents across the nation expressed their frustrations at school board meetings, the National School Boards Association requested federal assistance, claiming that some parents’ actions could be seen as “domestic terrorism.”
In October 2021, the Department of Justice published a memo coordinating its response to these issues. However, newly revealed emails show that senior officials were skeptical about the approach and worried it could create political challenges for the Biden administration.
One assistant attorney general expressed strong disapproval in an email, stating, “I find it hard to communicate how much I oppose this. It undermines our election intimidation efforts and jeopardizes the reputation of the Office of Public Integrity involved in this.” The official suggested that the initiative appeared politically motivated, noting, “If you’re going to pursue this, why not rename the organization the Anti-MAGA Task Force?”
The head of the public order section agreed, calling out the memo as misguided. Some Justice Department members raised concerns about the agency’s capability to tackle alleged threats against school board members as the memo proposed.
Another deputy attorney general expressed doubt, saying, “I can’t see any relevance to this. I don’t think it benefits the federal government.” The head of the Public Integrity Division warned that this could transform the Justice Department into a “threat police” without any clear restrictions.
After facing backlash from Republican lawmakers and parent advocacy groups, the National School Boards Association eventually issued an apology for their initial request to the Biden administration for legal scrutiny of parents.
Garland faced calls to rescind the memo but chose instead to stand by his assertion that the Justice Department’s role is to safeguard the public and its servants against threats and violence. The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital regarding this issue.
