Several high-ranking law enforcement officials have voiced their worries regarding the Justice Department’s handling of a memo associated with the Biden administration. Recently obtained documents indicate that the department is focusing on parents who voice their dissent at school board meetings.
Jay Greenberg, who was then the FBI’s assistant director, expressed his concerns about this memo in a letter, suggesting that there seemed to be a disconnect between the Justice Department and the bureau’s investigators. In his October 4, 2021, letter to Justice Department officials, he requested more time before the memo was made public, indicating that he had reservations about the matter.
What exactly troubled Mr. Greenberg isn’t entirely clear, and it appears there may have been some discussions around it at the time.
These documents were acquired by conservative legal groups following a freedom of information request against the Justice Department.
The context for the memo involves a wave of parent protests at school board meetings, largely fueled by dissatisfaction with COVID-19 policies and lessons around critical race theory. Many parents, having spent extended periods at home with their children due to the pandemic, began scrutinizing what was being taught in schools.
The memo, endorsed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland, stated that the Justice Department would act against perceived harassment and threats aimed at school administrators and staff, citing an “alarming spike” in such behavior.
Critics from the Republican side quickly contended that this approach appeared to target conservative parents specifically.
On October 8, 2021, Garland reportedly raised concerns about a call from Jonathan Thompson of the National Sheriffs Association, who noted a lack of reports regarding threats against local school boards.
Thompson urged clarification on why the Justice Department was engaging with local matters.
Documents also illustrate that the Biden White House was involved in crafting the Justice Department memo. Ephraim McDowell, a former staffer at the White House Domestic Policy Council, was in contact with the National School Boards Association to relay parents’ concerns about protests to the Justice Department.
Officials from the Justice Department utilized materials from the NSBA for the memo preparation.
Republican lawmakers have, on multiple occasions, probed the Biden administration over this controversial memo, voicing fears it could be a means to target conservative parents. Several states have filed lawsuits against the administration in connection with the memo.
Ian Pryor, a senior counsel at America First Legal, stated that these documents reveal the administration’s disregard for warnings from FBI leadership and the National Sheriffs Association, all to appease left-wing activists.
He further argued that the Justice Department’s actions have effectively categorized concerned parents alongside individuals who have threatened judges and Congress members.
The release of these documents also contains references to “28 incidents of disruption” at school board meetings, which largely involved unruly behavior and protests against mask mandates earlier in the year.
Will Scolinos, an adviser to America First Legal, asserted that parents expressing their views at school board meetings should not be considered a national security threat, suggesting that the Justice Department was well aware of this fact.
He concluded that these records confirmed the agency ignored frontline assessments by law enforcement while continuing to politically weaponize parental involvement in education.
