The White House reportedly knew about the Justice Department’s memo condemning concerned parents at school board meetings as potential “domestic terrorists,” according to the Washington Free Beacon.
That, paired with an apology from the National School Board Association on Friday, raised questions over whether the entire war on parents may have been staged internally by leftist operatives attempting to discredit concerned parents.
The DOJ sent a memo earlier this month suggesting the FBI should investigate parents who have spoken out at school board meetings after the NSBA asked the Biden administration to use federal laws like the post-Sept. 11 PATRIOT Act against these parents.
The law, intended to safeguard against foreign terrorists operating within US borders, included safeguards specifically designed to prevent abuse of domestic surveillance, but those laws have been flagrantly disregarded since the Obama administration at least.
New emails show that the White House was in contact with the NASB and knew about the DOJ’s memo. In fact, the White House received the NASB’s complaints before they were even made public.
“In talks over the last several weeks with White House staff, they requested additional information on some of the specific threats, so the letter also details many of the incidents that have been occurring,” one of the emails, sent by NASB CEO Chip Slaven to the organization’s board of directors, reads.
It is unclear whether the White House pressured the DOJ to release its memo after speaking with Slaven and other NASB officials.
During a congressional hearing on Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland denied that anyone from the White House spoke with him about the NSBA letter, but added, “I am sure —at least, I certainly would believe that the White House communicated its concerns about the letter to the Justice Department.”
When asked whether he discussed the NASB letter and the DOJ’s own memo with anyone in the White House, Garland said: “I did not. I don’t know whether anyone discussed the memo. I am sure that the communication from the National Association of School Boards was discussed between the White House and the Justice Department, and that’s perfectly appropriate.”
Garland also insisted the DOJ does not plan to investigate parents who protest at school board meetings despite the memo’s implications.
“I can’t imagine any circumstance in which the PATRIOT Act would be used in the circumstances of parents complaining about their children,” Garland added. “Nor can I imagine a circumstance where they would be labeled as domestic terrorism.”
