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Unearthed DOJ emails expose turmoil over Biden-era memo urging crackdown on parents
DOJ officials called Garland memo targeting parents ‘stupid’ and ‘political’
Internal DOJ emails obtained by Fox News reveal officials’ serious concerns about the Merrick Garland memo from 2021. One employee suggested renaming the directive the ‘Anti-MAGA Task Force,’ highlighting its perceived political nature. The memo targeted parents who spoke out at school board meetings regarding COVID-19 rules and critical race theory.
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A controversial memo issued by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2021 aimed at addressing the alleged threat posed to school boards by dissatisfied parents caused an internal revolt at the Justice Department, according to documents obtained by Fox News.
As parents across the nation took to school board meetings to vent their dissatisfaction with COVID-era learning restrictions as well as how race and gender were being taught in classrooms, the National Association for School Boards appealed to the Justice Department for assistance, claiming that some actions taken by angry parents could be classified as «domestic terrorism.»
The Justice Department in October 2021 issued a memo to coordinate a response to what the department described as an «increase in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school board members, teachers and workers in our nation’s public schools» by parents.
Newly released emails, however, indicate that high-ranking officials at the DOJ were skeptical of this move, predicting that it could transform into a political headache for the Biden administration.
MAJOR PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD SIMULATES PARENT ‘TERRORIST’ ATTACK AFTER FATAL ACCIDENT KILLS STUDENT
Attorney General Merrick Garland takes questions during a news conference at the Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to break up Live Nation, alleging the Ticketmaster parent company violated antitrust laws and harmed consumers. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
«I don’t think it’s possible to state how strongly I object to this. It will completely and totally nuke our election threats efforts, and will damage the reputation of the Public Integrity Section into the bargain,» one deputy assistant attorney general wrote on an internal email chain. «It’s like they’ve affirmatively trying to make this thing not work and look political.»
«If they do this, they might as well rename the damn thing the Anti-MAGA Task Force,» they continued.
«Exactly!» the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section chief responded. «Stupid, stupid, stupid.»
Some at the DOJ also questioned whether or not the agency had the authority to address purported threats to school board members in the way that was being proposed.
ANDREW MCCARTHY: BIDEN-HARRIS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TANGLES WITH RED STATES ON ELECTION DAY
US Attorney General Merrick Garland addresses staff on his first day at the US Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on March 11, 2021. Garland was confirmed by the Senate with a 70-30 vote on March 10. (Kevin Dietsch/AFP)
«We will not do this,» one principal deputy assistant attorney general wrote. «There is no conceivable connection to [public integrity] (indeed, I’m not seeing a federal interest of any kind.). And if they’re going to make the AG’s memo to the field about this and election threats, I’m going to strongly recommend that they not send it.»
The Public Integrity section chief chimed in that the memo could turn the Justice Department and the FBI into the «threat police» and that it contained «no limiting principle at all.»
After sparking a firestorm of criticism from GOP lawmakers, state officials, pundits and parents’ groups, the NSAB formally apologized for its letter to the Biden administration calling for legal scrutiny to apply to disgruntled parents.
CNN HOST RECALLS HOW COVID CAUSED THE ‘RADICALIZATION’ OF PARENTS
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 12, 2024, praising the department’s staff amid ongoing political accusations. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg)
«On behalf of NSBA, we regret and apologize for the letter,» the organization wrote in a memo to its members. «There was no justification for some of the language included in the letter. We should have had a better process in place to allow for consultation on a communication of this significance. We apologize also for the strain and stress this situation has caused you and your organizations.»
Though Garland was pressed to retract his memo or apologize, he instead opted to defend his decision.
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«The obligation of the Justice Department is to protect the American people against violence and threats of violence and that particularly includes public officials,» he said of the memo.
The DOJ and Garland did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Friday.
Fox News’ David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
attorney general, fbi, controversies education, justice department, parents
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A federal judge on Friday indefinitely blocked the Trump administration’s $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, even as another federal judge earlier this week declined to intervene after the Justice Department said the fund was no longer moving forward.
The court disputes have heightened pressure on the administration to formally dismantle the fund. While Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress the fund would not move forward, the settlement agreement and departmental directives that created the fund have not been formally rescinded. Critics argue this leaves open the possibility that the fund could still proceed in the future.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, a Clinton-appointed judge, extended a court order Friday preventing implementation of the fund, concluding that public assurances from administration officials were insufficient to eliminate concerns that it could later be revived.
Brinkema noted how Trump, «says he’s disappointed that something is not going forward,» suggesting this was evidence that the fund may «rear its head» at some point in the future.
JUDGE TEMPORARILY BLOCKS TRUMP DOJ’S NEARLY $2B ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND
President Donald Trump signs an executive order during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2026. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Over the weekend Trump shared on «Meet the Press» that he’d like to continue with the fund.
«If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve. People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed,» Trump said.
Brinkema gave the Justice Department a week to put in writing that the Anti-Weaponization Fund is being terminated and will not be reinstated.
The ruling comes days after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon rejected a separate request from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) seeking emergency intervention, saying he was willing to rely on Justice Department representations that the fund had effectively been abandoned.
ACTING AG BLANCHE REVEALS FATE OF TRUMP’S ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND’ UNDER PRESSURE FROM HOUSE LAWMAKERS
But Leon, a George W. Bush-appointed judge, simultaneously warned administration officials not to treat his decision as permission to revive the program.
«I give the Justice Department this warning: Don’t play possum with me,» Leon said from the bench.
Blanche announced during a hearing earlier this month that the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which was born out of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit settlement with the IRS, would not be proceeding. The fund was intended to compensate alleged victims of government «lawfare,» but its creation sparked immediate backlash from Democrats, who characterized it as a «slush fund» that could ultimately benefit Trump’s political allies and individuals charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
TRUMP ADMIN PUSHES BACK ON ‘SLUSH FUND’ ATTACKS AGAINST ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND AND LAYS OUT WHO QUALIFIES
FILE – Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche was directed to obtain a certificate of pardon for Buyer. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Justice Department attorney Andrew Block argued before Leon that Blanche’s congressional testimony effectively mooted CREW’s challenge because the government had publicly committed not to move forward.
Leon repeatedly questioned why Blanche has not formally rescinded a May 18 order that established procedures for the fund in the first place, a question Block could not answer.
CREW attorney Nikhel Sus argued the settlement agreement that established the fund remains legally operative and contains upcoming deadlines requiring action.
WAY HARDER THAN IT SHOULD BE: WHY CONGRESS MAY BALK ON $1.7B COMPENSATION FUND
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies during a House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on June 2, 2026. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
According to Sus, a five-member board overseeing the fund must be established by June 17, while funding transfers are scheduled by July 17.
«On paper, the fund is still a legally operating entity,» Sus argued.
However, Leon ultimately accepted the government’s assurances for now that the fund is moot, but he noted that he can sanction attorneys who make false representations to the court.
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He also indicated he will continue considering CREW’s request for a preliminary injunction and suggested he could intervene if evidence emerges that the administration is attempting to revive the fund.
federal courts, federal judges, administration, congress, justice department
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Las autoridades guatemaltecas reportan el decomiso de arsenal vinculado con alias El Lobo cabecilla del Barrio 18
Una diligencia conjunta del Ministerio Público, la Policía Nacional Civil y la Dipanda en la colonia El Limón, zona 18 de Ciudad de Guatemala, permitió localizar un arsenal atribuido a una estructura del Barrio 18 que operaba en el área vinculada a Aldo Dupie Ochoa Mejía, alias “El Lobo”, mientras las autoridades informaron en sus redes sociales que el operativo seguía en curso y que los hallazgos serán incorporados a investigaciones por extorsión y crimen organizado.
Según el Ministerio Público, durante la acción fue aprehendida una persona por la posible comisión en flagrancia del delito de portación ilegal de armas de fuego. La Fiscalía contra el Delito de Extorsión reportó además el decomiso de cinco fusiles, dos pistolas, un revólver, 14 tolvas para fusil, ocho tolvas para pistola y aproximadamente 600 municiones de diversos calibres.
La Policía Nacional Civil y el Ministerio de Gobernación informaron en sus redes sociales que el allanamiento se desarrolló en un punto donde operaba una de las bandas criminales de “El Lobo”. De acuerdo con esas publicaciones, en una primera revisión habían sido incautados cuatro fusiles, un fusil para francotirador, dos pistolas, un revólver, tolvas y una cantidad no precisada de municiones para fusil.
El dato central del operativo es este: las fuerzas de seguridad localizaron un depósito de armas en una guarida atribuida al Barrio 18 en la zona 18 capitalina, y el Ministerio Público confirmó una captura en el lugar por portación ilegal de armas.
La diferencia entre los recuentos públicos difundidos por las autoridades quedó expuesta en los mensajes emitidos durante la diligencia. Mientras la Policía Nacional Civil habló inicialmente de cuatro fusiles y un fusil para francotirador, el Ministerio Público informó después el hallazgo de cinco fusiles, además de las pistolas, el revólver, las tolvas y las municiones.
Según el Ministerio Público, los indicios localizados fortalecerán investigaciones en curso. La institución precisó que la diligencia era dirigida por la Fiscalía contra el Delito de Extorsión en la colonia El Limón.
La Dipanda, división especializada de la Policía Nacional Civil contra el desarrollo criminal de las pandillas, participa en el operativo junto con fiscales del Ministerio Público. Según la Policía Nacional Civil, la escena seguía siendo procesada para establecer la procedencia del armamento.
Las publicaciones oficiales sitúan la diligencia en un sector de la zona 18 donde, según las investigaciones policiales, operaba una de las estructuras criminales vinculadas a Aldo Dupie Ochoa Mejía, alias “El Lobo”. El Ministerio de Gobernación describió la acción como un “golpe al Barrio 18” tras el descubrimiento del arsenal.
La Policía Nacional Civil sostuvo que estos operativos contra las extorsiones y el crimen organizado continuarán a escala nacional. También pidió a la población presentar denuncias por medio de la línea 110, la línea 1561 de Cuéntaselo a Waldemar, la línea 1577 Antinarcótica y el número 3032-7356 para quejas y denuncias sobre agentes policiales.
Alias “El Lobo” en Guatemala es Aldo Dupie Ochoa Mejía. Las autoridades lo consideran uno de los principales cabecillas históricos de la pandilla Barrio 18 en el país.
Según las autoridades, lo identifican como líder de una de las facciones más violentas de Barrio 18 y como autor intelectual de diversos motines y olas de violencia en prisiones.
De acuerdo con esa identificación, cumple una condena acumulada de cientos de años por delitos que incluyen asesinato, asociación ilícita y extorsión.
Según las autoridades, por su alta peligrosidad y por los privilegios que mantenía en el pasado, ha sido trasladado y sometido a aislamiento en distintas cárceles de máxima seguridad, entre ellas Renovación 1 en Escuintla, además de otras granjas penales.
policía,operativo,incautación,municiones,arma de fuego,PNC,DIPANDA,investigación,seguridad
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