Hawkeye Reporter

House Republicans have written a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray indicating that they have obtained information that the FBI is adding "threat tags" to parents in their investigations, in direct contradiction of Attorney General Merrick Garland's directive.

"On October 20, 2021, the Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division sent an email to an 'FBI_SACS' listserv 'on behalf of' the FBI's Assistant Director for the Counterterrorism Division, Timothy Langan and the Assistant Director for the Criminal Division, Calvin Shivers," according to the letter, dated Nov. 18. "The email, which is enclosed, referenced the Attorney General's October 4 directive to the FBI to address school board threats and notified FBI personnel about a new 'threat tag' created by the Counterterrorism and Criminal Divisions. The email directed FBI personnel to apply this new threat tag to all 'investigations and assessments of threats specifically directed against school board administrators, board members, teachers, and staff."

Garland had previously directed the heads of the FBI and Federal Attorney’s Offices to work to deter an increase in harassment and threats of violence against school board members, teachers and workers across the nation, according to an Oct. 4 press release by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Republicans sitting on the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), sent a letter Oct. 7 to Garland expressing concerns that the Department of Justice message may appear to signal the policing the speech of parents and concerned citizens.

“We urge you to make very clear to the American public that the Department of Justice will not interfere with the rights of parents to come before school boards and speak with educators about their concerns, whether regarding coronavirus-related measures, the teaching of critical race theory in schools, sexually explicit books in schools or any other topic,” the letter read.

Garland's memo, and a subsequent letter to President Joe Biden by the National School Board Association about unruly discussions at school board meetings, have caused some concern among some school board members who question overreach. 

"Clearly, this was orchestrated and the letter contrived for political theater," reads an email by Sally Smith, who is the executive director for the Alabama Association of School Boards, according to Fox News. "If (the National School Board Association) is going to be a shill for an administration (any administration) to the detriment of many of its members, what rational explanation is there for failure to involve the board in this decision?"