Hawkeye Reporter

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have issued a letter responding to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s memo to federal authorities discussing how to deter threats against public servants over COVID-19 directives.

Garland cited an “increase in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school board members, teachers and workers in our nation’s public schools” in issuing a memo to the heads of the FBI and Federal Attorney’s Offices directing them to convene with federal, state and local law enforcement to discuss how best to deter this “disturbing trend.”

Republicans sitting on the Senate Judiciary Committee responded by issuing a letter that expressed concerns the Department of Justice could police 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, according to the Washington Examiner. “Furthermore, we urge you to instruct the FBI and the various United States Attorneys to make clear in the meetings discussed above that speech and democratic processes, like those that occur at a local school board meeting, must be respected.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wrote the letter. All other Republican Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee signed it. Grassley’s website also published a press release, saying that he and other Republicans insist “the Department of Justice (DOJ) not interfere with local school board meetings or threaten the use of federal law enforcement to deter parents’ free speech.”

The National School Boards Association recently wrote to the administration of President Joe Biden regarding "threats, harassment, disruption and acts of intimidation," including “school board meetings (being) disrupted in California, Florida, Georgia and other states because of local directives for mask coverings to protect students and educators from COVID-19.”