![]() But much of the outrage has centered not on the contents of the memo itself but on a letter sent days earlier to President Biden by the National School Board Association (NSBA). Garland’s memo quickly became a point of contention among Republicans after it was released on Oct. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., accused Garland of “siccing the feds on parents at school boards across America” and declared, “You should resign in disgrace.” Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the committee’s top Republican, in his opening statement. ![]() “Your memo treats parents speaking freely to be worthy of the department’s heavy investigative and prosecutorial hand,” charged Sen. Throughout Wednesday’s hearing, however, Republican senators sought to portray the memo as much more than that, accusing Garland of weaponizing the Justice Department and infringing on parents’ First Amendment rights. Of the 24 incidents cited in the letter, the vast majority did not involve physical threats but rather tense verbal exchanges and disruption by parents attending school board meetings.Attorney General Merrick Garland testifying before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. The NSBA also coordinated with the White House to iron out the details of the letter asking for federal involvement to determine whether parent “threats” qualify as domestic terrorism under the Patriot Act, the Washington Free Beacon first reported. Garland issued the original order in response to the NSBA letter authored by executive director Chip Slaven, who did not consult the organization’s board of directors and at least 19 state school board association chapters before sending it, nonprofit Parents Defending Education revealed. The senator’s demand came after the National School Board Association formally apologized to its members across the country for requesting federal intervention from the Biden administration to potentially target parents who protest at local school board meetings as “domestic terrorists.” During the hearing, he denied that the memo constituted a financial conflict-of-interest with his son-in-law’s co-founding role at Panorama, a consultancy that sells progressive education materials the likes of which many parents have objected to at school board meetings. Garland testified before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday to answer questions from lawmakers regarding the memo. ![]() He should resign,” Hawley tweeted Friday. It was a dangerous abuse of authority that has badly compromised the Justice Dept’s integrity and Garland’s. “Merrick Garland mobilized the FBI to intimidate parents without legal basis and, we now know, premised on misinformation he didn’t bother to verify. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s resignation over the Justice Department memorandum directing the FBI and federal law enforcement to probe and potentially prosecute “harassment” and “threats” leveled by parents against school board members. Republican Senator Josh Hawley has called for U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.,) during Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Washington, D.C., Febru(Demetrius Freeman/Reuters)
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