Emails: Biden WH Pushed to Label Parents ‘Domestic Terrorists’

The Justice Department under former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland actively sought out a “federal hook” to justify going after parents protesting at school board meetings, internal communications show.

According to department emails obtained by America First Legal, after coordinating with the National School Boards Association on a letter likening concerned parents to domestic terrorists, Biden DOJ officials rushed to draft Garland’s memo mobilizing federal authorities in response.

The efforts included workshopping ways within a legal framework to prosecute parents, concerned at the time with mask mandates, critical race theory teachings in K-12 classrooms, and transgender school policies.

“We’re aware; the challenge here is finding a federal hook,” Chambers replied around a half hour later. “But WH has been in touch about whether we can assist in some form or fashion.”

“You might have seen this letter to the President and accompanying reporting on threats against school board members. The Department may need to say something publicly today about its response to these threat, so unfortunately this is a quick-turn request,” Sooknanan said.

Sooknanan looped in Robert Moossy and Pamela Karlan, both top attorneys in the department’s Civil Rights Division, “in the event this might be actionable.”

Karland initially advised that the instances cited by the NSBA “likely fall outside of our jurisdiction.” After back-and-forth all day between parties, Karlan told Sooknanan, “I think this is the end of the line.” To which, Sooknanan said, “Thanks very much, Pam. I’ll pass this on.”