GOP senators push back on DOJ 'policing the speech of citizens' in letter to Garland
Fox News
Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling on him to tell Americans that the Justice Department will not and should not attempt to silence people who vocalize opposition to their state and local school board policies. The letter was a response to a memo sent to DOJ employees that sparked concern federal authorities would investigate those who do just that.
"We are concerned about the appearance of the Department of Justice policing the speech of citizens and concerned parents," the letter, sent Thursday by senators led by committee ranking member Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, stated. "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. 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."
The Republicans acknowledged that actual violence and clear threats of imminent violence "are not protected speech and have no place in the public discourse of a democracy," while stating that many examples that have been given were nothing more than "heated encounters."