Last year, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Justice Department and the FBI would work with state and local agencies to combat the “disturbing trend” of violent threats against school officials. “Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” Garland said in a statement at the time. “Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.”
To many Republicans, this was tantamount to a declaration of war. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pledged that he wouldn’t let state law enforcement agencies work with the FBI on school board threats, claiming that the Biden administration was trying to “squelch dissent.” Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts described it as an “attack on parental input.” Critics cast the DOJ announcement as authoritarian. “There is no place for the federal government to interfere with regular democratic activity,” Missouri Senator Josh Hawley said at the time.
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