Whistleblowers inside the FBI testify the bureau’s Counterterrorism Division investigated dozens of concerned parents as potential terrorists, based on nothing more than criticism of liberal political policies.
This contradicts sworn testimony before Congress by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who testified the FBI never acted on a request by the liberal leadership of the National School Board Association to suppress critics by labeling them terrorists.
“We have learned from brave whistleblowers that the FBI has opened investigations with the EDUOFFICIALS threat tag in almost every region of the country and relating to all types of educational settings,” House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote in a letter to Garland this week.
Whistleblowers claim the order to target concerned parents as terrorists came directly from Garland, despite testifying under oath to the contrary.
“The information we have received shows how, as a direct result of your directive, federal law enforcement is using counterterrorism resources to investigate protected First Amendment activity,” writes Jordan.
In one case a mother was reported to the FBI, despite never making a violent threat, because she was outwardly conservative
She was reported to the National Threat Operations Center “because she belonged to a ‘right wing mom’s group’ known as ‘Moms for Liberty’ and because she ‘is a gun owner,’” Jordan writes.
The “terrorist” report was called in after she said she would try to remove school board officials in the next election.
In another case a father was reported to the FBI because he “fit the profile of an insurrectionist’ because he ‘rails against the government,’ (and) ‘believes all conspiracy theories.’”
The report claimed he “has a lot of guns and threatens to use them.” The FBI agent who interrogated him found no basis for the claim, and reported he was required to investigate the father because the Justice Department had a system “to submit tips to the FBI in regards to any concerning behavior directed toward school boards.”
“These investigations into concerned parents were the direct result of your October 4 directive to the FBI,” Jordan wrote to Garland. “Each of the cases was initiated following your directive. Each of the complaints came into the FBI through the same snitch-line—the National Threat Operations Center—highlighted in the press release accompanying your October 4 memorandum. One complainant even told an FBI agent that they reported the tip to the FBI because of the snitch-line, despite having ‘no specific information’ about any actual threat. These facts lead us to conclude that these investigations into concerned parents, and likely many more like them, would not have occurred but for your directive.”
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AmericanActionNews.com
Michael Brigham
Michael Brigham has written for American Action News since the summer of 2019. His areas of expertise include foreign affairs, government, and politics, but regardless of the subject matter, he has a nose and an insatiable appetite for news. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction, watching a mix of comedies and true crime documentaries, and spending time away from the swamp hiking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
