FBI Director Christopher Wray offered no apology for the bureau's alleged targeting of parents protesting at school board meetings in response to a grilling from House Judiciary Committee Republicans, who used a Wednesday hearing to air allegations of politicization and bias within the ranks of federal law enforcement.
The director agreed however that there was “no compelling nationwide law enforcement justification” for Attorney General Merrick Garland's directive for tracking alleged threats against school boards.
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FBI Director Wray agrees there was “no compelling nationwide law enforcement justification” for AG Garland’s directive for the FBI to surveil parents attending their children’s school board meetings, but refuses to say whether Garland should rescind the memo. pic.twitter.com/Nlvdal2goK
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"This committee’s investigation concluded that the Justice Department’s own documents demonstrated it was no compelling justification for the attorney general’s directive. Do you have any reason to dispute that conclusion?" Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) asked on Wednesday.
"No," Wray said.
The California congressman continued to press the FBI director about having "no evidence" for targeting parents.
"So we had an investigation of parents, we had a sweeping mobilization of federal power against the most protected core First Amendment activity, the right of citizens to speak and petition their government on the most important issues, the education of their children. And you are telling me that the entire basis for that, there was no evidence to support it?"
"Well, I want to be clear, we, the FBI, as I said, we’re not and did not investigate people for exercising their First Amendment rights," Wray responded.
"Should Attorney General Garland rescind that memo? Should they?" Kiley asked.
"That’s a question for the attorney general," Wray shot back.
"Do you believe that the attorney general should apologize to parents for the subject of that memo?" Kiley asked Wray.
"I'm not going to speak to that," the FBI director said.
Kiley added, "Will you apologize for the FBI's own role?"
Rep @KevinKileyCA: Should the AG apologize to parents targeted by Biden's DOJ for protests at school board meetings?
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WRAY: "I'm not gonna speak to that"@KevinKileyCA: "Will you apologize for the FBI's own role?"
WRAY: "I think the FBI conducted itself the way it should here" pic.twitter.com/bWrLltgJpm
"I think the FBI conducted itself the way it should here, which we've considered and continue to follow long-standing rules that have not changed anything in response to that memo," Wray said.
Garland had signed the memo to FBI agents in October of last year about assisting local law enforcement after receiving a letter from the National School Boards Association, alleging a “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.”
Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) pressed Wray about the FBI's use of "threat tags" designated for parents who challenged school boards.
"Is it correct that in 2021 the FBI created a threat tag specifically designed to identify parents attending school board meetings?" Lee asked at the hearing.
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"Uh, yes, but I think it's important for people to understand what a threat tag is and is not. It is not what we base investigations on. It is not an investigative tool. It's an administrative function in our system, " he said. "It doesn't change anything in how we investigate."