Will not Target the political opponents of this Administration here was your answer quote absolutely it’s totally inappropriate for the Department to Target any individual because of their politics or their position in a campaign that was your promise just a few months ago I’m sorry to say you have broken that promise
There is a difference between law and politics and general Garland you know the difference between law and politics law is based on facts it is impartial it is not used as a tool of political retribution this memo was not law this memo was politics on Wednesday September 29th the National
School Board Association wrote a letter to the president asking the president to use the Department of Justice to Target parents that were upset at critical race theory that were upset at Mass mandates in schools to Target them as domestic terrorists on the face of the letter the letter was
In repeated consultation with the White House an explicit political consultation with the white house that was on Wednesday September 29th five days later on Monday so right after the weekend boom you pop out a memo giving them exactly what they want now by the way I understand that in
Politics that happens all the time an important special interest wants something sir yes sir we’re going to listen to them let me ask you something general Garland in the letter which you told the House of Representative was the basis for this abusive memo targeting parents how many incidents are cited in that memo
I have to look back through the memo okay you don’t know how many of them are violent again the the general report how many of them were violent do you know I don’t know you don’t know there’s a reason you don’t know because you didn’t care and nobody in
Your office cared to find out I did a quick count just sitting here during this hearing I counted 20 incidents cited of the 20 15 on their face or non-violent they involve things like insults they involve a Nazi salute that’s one of the examples my God a parent did a Nazi
Saluted a school board because they thought the the policies were oppressive General Garland is doing a Nazi salute an elected official is that protected by the First Amendment yes it is okay 15 of the 20. on the face of it are not violent they’re not threats of violence
They’re parents who are unhappy yet miraculously when you write a memo the opening line of your memo in recent months there has been a disturbing Spike in harassment intimidation and threats of violence you know what you didn’t look and nobody on your on your staff look did you even look up the 20
Instances as I had testified the decision to make the send a memo is for an assessment did you look up the 20 instances I did not read did anyone on your staff look them up I don’t know the answer but it’s but of course you don’t in general
There’s a reason look you started your career as a law clerk to Justice Brandon you’ve had many law Clerks during the year during your time as a judge I was a clerk to Chief Justice rehnquist I’ll tell you what if I drafted an opinion for the Chief Justice and walked
In and it said there’s a disturbing pattern of violence well Ted how do you know that well I got an abacus brief here who claims it you would fire a law clerk who did that you’re the Attorney General of the United States this was not a tweet you sent this is a memo
To the Federal Bureau of Investigations saying go investigate parents as domestic terrorists that is not what the memo says at all is it what the letter says that is not what is it what the letter says I don’t care what the letter says you don’t care you said it was the
Basis of your memo you testified under oath before the House of Representatives the letter was the basis of your memo now you don’t care about the letter the letter and public reports of violence and threats of violence my memo says nothing about domestic terrorism says nothing about parents committing any
Such things my memo is an attempt to get an assessment of whether there is a problem out there that the federal government needs to letter on its face says the actions of the appearance could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism that is wrong and asks the
President to use the Patriot Act in regards to domestic terrorism erected at parents this was the basis of your memo the Department of Justice when you’re directing the FBI to engage in law enforcement you’re not behaving as a political operative because a political Ally of the President says hey go attack these
Parents because we don’t like what they’re saying Department of Justice you did no independent research on what was happening did you the mem order has nothing to do with parts did you do independent research the memo did you do independent research memo has nothing to do you’re not answering that question
You’ve testified you know nothing about the violent sexual assault that happened in Loudoun County even though it’s one of the bases in this letter I read about it since then okay you told the house last week you knew nothing about it not no at the time no okay this week the court concluded
That a 14 year old girl was violently raped by a boy wearing a skirt in the girls restroom the school district covered it up released the boy sent him to another school where he violently raped another girl the father who Mr Holly just showed you
Was the father of of the first girl he was understandably do you understand why a parent would be upset when your daughter is raped at school the school board covers it up and then lies to you and claims there have been no assaults we have no instances
Of assaults in our bathroom and that was a flat out lie as the court concluded this week do you understand why the parent would be upset absolutely and is any expressions of upset are completely protected by the first except you just called him a domestic terrorist I never
Called him that that’s not this letter calls him a domestic terrorist you based a direction to the FBI an official direction from the Attorney General on this letter and I’ll tell you what the the nsba is so embarrassed of this letter they’ve apologized for it and retracted it but you don’t apparently
Have the same willingness to apologize and retract what you did let me ask you
