Former President Joe Biden’s Justuce Department used federal law enforcement to target parents at school board meetings as potential threats “despite warnings from FBI officials and the National Sheriffs’ Association,” according to America First Legal’s analysis of new government documents it obtained.AFL, a conservative legal nonprofit, said it acquired the documents as part of its ongoing lawsuit related to former Attorney General Merrick Garland’s October 4, 2021 memorandum that targeted concerned parents at school board meetings during the COVID pandemic.
“On October 4, 2021 — the day the memo was released — FBI Deputy Assistant Director Jay Greenberg emailed the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, stating the FBI had ‘some concern.’ He requested “additional time to engage” before messaging about the infamous memo went out,” AFL wrote on X, linking to the DOJ documents it obtained.
Greenberg also asked for help “to find common ground we can all support” on the situation.
Some inside DOJ also fretted the strategy would boomerang, and create a political headache for elections,
“I don’t think it’s possible to state how strongly I object to this. It will completely and totally nuke our election threats efforts, and will damage the reputation of the Public Integrity Section into the bargain,” one top DOJ official wrote in an email. “It’s like they’ve affirmatively trying to make this thing not work and look political.”
“If they do this, they might as well rename the damn thing the Anti-MAGA Task Force,” an official wrote.
The National Sheriffs’ Association also shared concerns like those of the FBI, the memos show.
“On October 8, 2021, the National Sheriffs’ Association reached out to officials in the Associate Deputy Attorney General’s Office, stating that its sheriffs had ‘not heard any concerns about threats to local school boards’ and that ‘it would have been nice to have a heads-up,'” the group wrote on X, referencing the internal emails it obtained.
Despite the concerns raised, Garland’s memo was issued on October 4, 2021.
“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” wrote Attorney General Garland. “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 FBI enforced the memo, AFL noted, establishing a new threat tag, “EDUOFFICIALS.”
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