Emails: Biden DOJ Worked With W.H. On School Board Letter Before FBI Directive
A conservative legal organization has disclosed a batch of internal emails from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that illuminate the Biden administration’s involvement in the contentious 2021 decision to deploy federal law enforcement in response to protests at school board meetings.
The emails, acquired by America First Legal, reveal that senior DOJ officials were in communication with the White House regarding the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) letter prior to Garland’s directive to the FBI. This letter, which was sent to President Biden on September 29, 2021, accused certain parents of “threatening” or “harassing” school board members concerning divisive policies related to COVID-19 mandates, critical race theory, and accommodations for transgender students. It even proposed that specific incidents might warrant investigation under federal domestic terrorism statutes, as reported by Fox News.
Although the NSBA subsequently apologized for and withdrew the letter, the DOJ acted swiftly on the document. In an email dated October 1, 2021, Kevin Chambers — an aide to the deputy attorney general — notified a colleague, “We’re aware; the challenge here is finding a federal hook. But WH has been in touch about whether we can assist in some form or fashion.”
Merely three days later, on October 4, Garland released a memo directing the FBI to collaborate with local law enforcement to tackle what he characterized as a “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence” directed at school administrators and staff. Garland would later testify under oath before Congress that his directive was issued after — and in response to — the NSBA letter.
Nevertheless, not all individuals within the DOJ concurred with the assertions made by the NSBA. In a message dated October 3, 2021, a DOJ attorney communicated to colleagues, “I reviewed the letter from NSBA and examined the links for several footnotes, and it seems to me that the overwhelming majority of the behavior referenced cannot be addressed by federal law,” further noting that “nearly all of the terminology employed is safeguarded by the First Amendment.”
This same attorney proposed that any legitimate criminal matters, such as trespassing or disturbing the peace, could be managed entirely by local law enforcement, emphasizing that there was “nothing even remotely federal” regarding most of the incidents described.
Gene Hamilton, president of America First Legal, stated that the internal communications expose “a conspiracy that was ultimately designed to strip parents of two essential rights — the right to express themselves, and the right to guide the upbringing of their children.”
The documents also indicate that Sparkle Sooknanan, who was a DOJ official at the time and is now a federal judge appointed by Biden, was the individual who initiated internal conversations regarding potential federal action in response to the NSBA letter. On October 2, 2021, she dispatched a “quick-turn request” to her colleagues inquiring whether the Civil Rights Division possessed any authorities that could be utilized to address the concerns raised in the letter.
Republicans accused the Biden administration of attempting to intimidate parents and suppress free speech at public meetings. They contended that the administration was employing federal law enforcement as a political tool to silence dissent against contentious school policies. The criticism escalated after it was disclosed that the NSBA had coordinated with the White House prior to sending its letter.
The publication of these records coincides with assertions from critics that the Biden administration has dismantled the longstanding barrier between the White House and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Former officials from the DOJ have expressed concerns regarding the risks associated with such collaboration, emphasizing that the operations of the department ought to remain insulated from political pressures.
A former DOJ staff member, who had served for nearly two decades and was recently dismissed, conveyed to CBS News: “There used to be a line, a very clear demarcation between the White House and the Department of Justice, as one should not interfere with the functions of the other. That boundary is unequivocally absent now.”
America First Legal asserts that it will persist in its efforts to obtain and disclose records that expose what it describes as the “weaponization of the DOJ against ordinary Americans.