FOX New
By Ronn Blitzer
October21, 2021
Attorney General Merrick Garland is testifying at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday dedicated to oversight of the Justice Department at a time when the agency is in the middle of several high-profile cases and controversies.
Republicans have seized on Garland’s recent memo to Justice Department employees about intervening in incidents of violence or intimidation targeting state and local school board officials. GOP lawmakers have criticized Garland for overstepping by getting involved in matters that should be handled by state and local law enforcement, and for issuing the memo days after the National School Boards Association asked the Biden administration to utilize tools including the terrorism-related PATRIOT Act to deal with these situations. The NSBA cited incidents of non-violent disruption of school board meetings where parents voiced their concerns about issues such as the teaching of critical race theory, prompting Republicans to voice fears that federal involvement will influence conservatives to keep quiet instead of continuing to engage with officials.