FBI Emails Expose Internal Backlash To Biden’s War On Angry Parents

FBI officials asked to distance themselves from parts of the Biden administration’s crackdown on alleged threats against school officials, warning that the effort appeared political, newly released emails reveal.  

The messages were included in a report released Monday by the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group. It examined former Attorney General Merrick Garland’s now-infamous October 4, 2021, memo directing federal law enforcement to coordinate a response to threats against school officials as parents became more vocal challenging mask mandates and curriculum at school board meetings. 

The emails show disagreements within the FBI and DOJ over the initiative, including whether counterterrorism and national security officials should be involved.

For example, in one exchange, an FBI employee urged his supervisor not to collaborate with the Department of Homeland Security on a paper about “threats to school boards” because of its partisan nature. The request came weeks after Garland issued his memo. 

“DHS is writing what I think will be a politically charged paper on threats to school boards with some very specific proposals. They are asking for our coordination,” an unidentified employee with the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division wrote in an October 29, 2021 email to his supervisor. “In my opinion, we should not coordinate or give any feedback, and we should ensure it is understood we are not to be mentioned as coordinators.”

“I think this product will show up in the news and be featured on the Hill as soon as it is released, so I wanted to get your guidance before moving forward,” the employee added. 

FBI email: DOJ report.

An FBI counterterrorism official agreed, writing that “my initial preference would be that we do *not* coordinate on this or provide any comments back, and ensure we are not identified in any way as a coordinator.”

“This will certainly hit the press as soon as it is published,” the official, whose name was redacted, added. 

Garland’s school board memo was issued after the National School Boards Association asked the federal government to respond to threats against school officials. Garland said the memo’s purpose was to respond to “a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.”

The memo prompted swift backlash from Republican officials and parents who argued that it was an attack on their rights to criticize school officials over mask mandates and the teaching of critical race theory in the classroom. 

Other correspondence showed frustration over how DOJ introduced the initiative. One day after the memo was issued, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Jay Greenberg sent an email saying that the bureau had been blindsided by the decision. 

“We were all caught off guard by this announcement,” Greenberg said in an October 5, 2021 email. “This was unilaterally pushed by DOJ, and we are now working with DOJ [Office of Public Affairs] to message clear intent.”

FBI email: DOJ.

Previously released emails show that Greenberg had asked the Justice Department to hold off on releasing the memo so FBI officials could discuss their concerns. 

“We have some concern with the attached [memo] and would like additional time to engage with you before this messaging is released,” he said. “I would ask for any assistance you can provide in helping us get time to find common ground we can all support.”

Another email included in Monday’s report showed former Justice Department official George Toscas objecting to the involvement of the department’s National Security Division in a task force addressing school board threats. 

“As I previously expressed, I don’t see the need for a task force like this. We don’t start a narrowly focused task force every time some group believes they are the subject of threats. We (meaning DOJ and FBI) simply investigate credible criminal threats that have a federal nexus,” he wrote in an October 12, 2021 email. 

“I think we should ask that [the National Security Division] be removed from this task force. There is nothing to suggest a national security nexus to the alleged threats. If the others on the task force identify a national security nexus in any particular investigation, they can loop us in (just as any [US attorney office] or component is required to do),” he added. 

The Justice and Education Departments also sent a joint letter Monday to state attorneys general emphasizing the administration’s commitment to protecting parental rights. 

“Under the Biden Administration, parents were the enemy. They were labeled as terrorists, targeted, and investigated by a government weaponized against them,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “That era is over. The Trump Administration is acting with unprecedented energy and purpose to restore parents’ natural rights as the primary protectors of their children.”

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