Braun, Lankford, Colleagues Demand DOJ Rescind Memo Labeling Parents Domestic Terrorists, Comply With FOIA Requests
Today Senator Mike Braun joined Senator James Lankford and Sens. Ted Cruz, Jim Inhofe, Mike Lee, John Boozman, Rand Paul, M.D. and Josh Hawley in sending a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland to defend parents who advocate for their children. The Senators demand that Garland immediately and publicly rescind an October 4th memorandum targeting parents who have spoken out at school board meetings in their local communities. The letter also demands that Garland comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests made by 14 states that seek DOJ documents that led to the memorandum.
The Senators wrote in their letter,
“Parents have the right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. That does not make them terrorists. For you and your Department to claim otherwise is a gross misuse of your authority as the nation’s highest law enforcement official. Your October 4 memorandum must be immediately rescinded.”
Senator Braun has been a fierce advocate for parents’ rights and school choice. In September, Sen. Braun criticized Education Secretary Miguel Cardona for controversial comments Sec. Cardona made about parents voicing their frustrations at school board meetings, as well as the Secretary’s position that parents are not the “primary stakeholder” in their kids’ education.
Sen. Braun cosponsored legislation supporting the rights of parents to be the leading voice in the education of their children, after the Biden Administration politicized and weaponized the Justice Department by threatening to use federal law enforcement resources to intimidate and silence parents who speak out to protect their children from harmful curricula like CRT. Sen. Braun also joined his colleagues to send a letter demanding answers from Secretary Cardona on reports that he played a key role in orchestrating a letter from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) that called concerned parents “domestic terrorists.”
You can view the text of the letter at https://www.braun.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2022-03/Senator%20Lankford%20Letter%20on%20Oct.%204%20Memo.pdf