By The FirstAttorney General Merrick Garland has announced he will enlist the FBI to crack down on, what he describes as, a “disturbing spike” in harassment against school administrators.
“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,” Garland said in a memo.
“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,” Garland added.
The blowback was swift, with many GOP members claiming the Biden administration is trying to ‘weaponize the DOJ’ and silence parents concerned with the teaching of Critical Race Theory.
“All around the country, Americans are speaking out against the radical racist ideology sometimes called ‘critical race theory,'” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) wrote to Garland. “Americans have responded to this radical ideology by winning elections for local school boards and protesting peacefully at school board meetings. Yet your memo yesterday to the FBI and local U.S. Attorneys ignored all of this and warned of an insurgence of ‘threats of violence’ and ‘efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views.’”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis promised AG Garland that the Biden administration was in for a fight if they decide to interfere with school parents in the Sunshine State.
“Attorney General Garland is weaponizing the DOJ by using the FBI to pursue concerned parents and silence them through intimidation,” the Republican governor tweeted. “Florida will defend the free speech rights of its citizens and will not allow federal agents to squelch dissent.”
