Weaponization Subcommittee Update
March 24, 2023
Weaponization's Probe into AG Garland's Anti-Parent Memo
- The House Judiciary Committee and its subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government completed an interim staff report in its investigation, which alleges the Biden administration targeted parents at school board meetings who were "voicing concerns about controversial curricula and education-related policies." The GOP-led committee subpoenaed Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and members of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) for documents related to the investigation.
Townhall: New Report Shows Extensive Biden Admin Collusion to Classify Parents as Terrorists
- A new report published by the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government and House Judiciary Committee shows extensive collusion between the Biden administration and the National School Board Association. The partnership came as the group drafted a letter calling on the Department of Justice to classify parents as domestic terrorists. The letter also asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to use the Patriot Act, implemented after 9/11, to go after parents expressing criticism over school lockdowns, critical race theory and inappropriate sexual content in the classroom.
- A Subcommittee staff, in conjunction with Judiciary Committee staff, compiled the report based on findings from recently subpoenaed documents from the Justice Department, FBI, and Education Department. “The subpoenaed documents show there was no legitimate nationwide basis for the Attorney General’s directive to insert federal law enforcement into local school board matters,” the report stated. “In fact, almost universally, local law enforcement rejected the directive and expressed strong preference that local authorities handle local matters.”
Washington Examiner: GOP says Garland and Biden 'colluded' to silence critics during 2021 election
- House Republicans said Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Biden administration “colluded” with the National School Boards Association in an effort aimed at “silencing the critics” of Democratic education policies ahead of the 2021 Virginia governor’s race. A new interim report about Garland’s October 2021 school boards directive was released by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee and Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
- Moms For Liberty Founder Tiffany Justice plans to blast the Department of Justice for targeting parents after the Judiciary Committee’s report revealed that the Biden administration in collusion with the NSBA "misused" authorities to investigate parents at school board meetings. The founders, Justice and Tina Descovich, created the parental rights group to advocate for parental rights at all levels of government, according to their website. The group was founded in Florida by parents who opposed mask mandates for children in school due to the coronavirus pandemic. Justice, in particular, has been a vocal opponent of government-backed mask mandates and teachers' unions.
CNN: ‘No legitimate basis’ for 2021 DOJ memo on school board threats, House GOP alleges in new report
- The Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee claim in a new report that local law enforcement pushback to a memo issued by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2021 on threats to school boards around the country supports their conclusion that there was “no legitimate basis” for the directive. House Republicans also claim in the report, which provides an update to their investigation, that the memo must have been issued for political purposes – but the report does not include any direct evidence to support the allegation that any decision made by the DOJ was politically influenced.
Bongino Report: Panel Finds "No Legitimate Basis" for DOJ's Controversial School Board Memo Comparing Parents to Terrorists
- When schools were closed during the pandemic, the Department Of Justice (DOJ) issued a memo that warned of "dangerous threats" against school board officials. However, after an investigation by top GOP officials, it has been concluded that this DOJ warning was likely a deliberate “weaponization” of government resources and a cheap political stunt, Daily Wire reports. The October 2021 the DOJ memo called on federal officials to scramble in response to perceived threats to school boards across the country. The threat, however, consisted primarily of mothers and fathers calling on school board officials to reopen the schools. The U.S. House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government has concluded an investigation into possible motives of the memo, and found that the Biden administration wasn't being honest.
Just the News: Jim Jordan says bills should be introduced to hold agencies accountable for political weaponization
- House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said that legislation should be introduced to hold federal agencies like the FBI and Department of Justice accountable for investigating American citizens practicing their First Amendment rights. The Ohio representative said steps need to be taken to ensure that these kinds of investigations don't occur again. Congress needs to "to use the appropriations process," he said on the Wednesday edition of the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "To use the power of the purse and say, 'Look, no money can be used to target parents. No money can be used to target pro-lifers and Catholics.'"
The National Desk: 'No legitimate basis': Biden admin blasted for directive telling FBI to investigate parents at school board meetings
- The House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released an interim report Tuesday, pertaining to its investigation into the FBI's alleged targeting of parents at school board meetings. The report contested that there was "no legitimate basis" for Attorney General Merrick Garland's October 2021 memorandum directing federal law enforcement to begin working with local law enforcement to root out "a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators" stemming from contentious school board meetings.
Fox News: House GOP claims Biden, DOJ 'colluded' in 'political offensive' against parents ahead of VA gov race
- House Republicans are calling out the Biden administration and Attorney General Merrick Garland for a "dangerous" misuse of resources and "weaponization of law-enforcement powers against American parents exercising their First Amendment rights" during school board meetings. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and Select Subcommittee, released an interim report Tuesday regarding Garland's "misuse" of law enforcement and counterterrorism resources to target parents in 2021, in the months ahead of a close Virginia gubernatorial race eventually won by Republican Glenn Youngkin.
Cleveland.com: Jim Jordan rips Justice Department in new report claiming FBI ‘weaponized’ against parents at local school boards
- The FBI launched at least 25 investigations of threats to school boards after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a 2021 memorandum instructing it to address the issue, but none of the probes resulted in federal charges, according to a new interim report from U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Federal Government. Documents the Champaign County Republican subpoenaed from the Justice Department “show an absence of a legitimate nationwide basis for the Attorney General’s directive to insert federal law enforcement into local school board matters,” says the report.
Read the Committee's full report on AG Garland's Anti-Parent memo here.
What's On Tap for Next Week
The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. ET. The hearing will examine the Missouri v. Biden case challenging the administration’s violation of the First Amendment by directing social media companies to censor and suppress Americans' free speech.
WHO:
- U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt, Missouri
- Attorney General Jeff Landry, Louisiana
- D. John Sauer, Special Assistant Attorney General, Louisiana Department of Justice
WATCH: The hearing will be live streamed here.
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