Biden’s White House Pushed DOJ to Target Parents, New Documents Reveal

America First Legal (AFL), a conservative legal organization originally co-founded by Trump White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, has released a series of internal documents they say confirm political interference by the Biden White House in the Department of Justice’s response to parent protests at school board meetings.

SMOKING GUN

AFL has obtained new documents CONCLUSIVELY PROVING that AG Merrick Garland’s infamous Oct. 4 memo labeling concerned parents at school board meetings “domestic terrorists” was POLITICALLY ORCHESTRATED and DRIVEN by the Biden White House.

“WH has been in touch.” pic.twitter.com/0jPHuH6iKd

— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) July 18, 2025

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The documents center on the now-infamous October 4, 2021, memorandum issued by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland, which directed the DOJ to respond to what the administration claimed was a growing threat of violence and intimidation directed at school boards.

/1 Three years ago today Attorney General Garland issued a memo weaponizing the entire DOJ against parents for speaking out at school board meetings.

With @DefendingEd we created a detailed timeline and are revealing shocking new details and context about the weaponized DOJ. pic.twitter.com/RwtkMWdAE3

— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) October 4, 2024

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Critics have long argued the memo was an overreach intended to silence dissent from parents critical of school policies related to COVID-19, curriculum content, and other matters.

According to AFL, the newly released communications obtained through legal efforts show that the directive from Garland’s office was politically driven and lacked proper legal justification.

“Today, America First Legal (AFL) released explosive new documents conclusively proving what AFL has known since day one: the infamous October 4 memo from Attorney General Garland labeling concerned parents as ‘domestic terrorists’ was a political operation of weaponized government, not the normal, lawful execution of federal laws by the Department of Justice,” AFL stated on its website.

The organization said the documents were secured following more than three years of legal action.

AFL claims the evidence demonstrates that the Biden White House was in direct contact with DOJ officials shortly after the National School Boards Association (NSBA) sent its letter on September 29, 2021, calling for federal assistance and comparing certain parent protests to domestic terrorism.

The following communication cited by AFL was included in the newly released records:

On October 1, 2021, Tamarra Matthews-Johnson, a counsel in the Office of the Attorney General, forwarded press clips referencing the NSBA letter to Kevin Chambers in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General.

Chambers responded just over 30 minutes later, stating, “We’re aware; the challenge here is finding a federal hook. But WH has been in touch about whether we can assist in some form or fashion.”

AFL emphasized this line — “WH has been in touch” — as key evidence of direct White House involvement in the pressure campaign to initiate a federal response, despite concerns raised by DOJ staff attorneys.

“These never-before-seen documents… expose not only the Biden White House’s involvement in pushing a weaponized DOJ, but also strong dissent from careers within the Department’s Civil Rights Division, who warned that there was no federal authority or legal basis to target these parents in the first place because their speech is protected by the First Amendment,” AFL wrote.

The organization accused Garland’s leadership team of disregarding internal legal advice and proceeding with a strategy aimed at discouraging parental dissent.

According to AFL, DOJ leadership ignored warnings that the department lacked a proper jurisdictional basis and pushed forward anyway.

“Now, for the first time since the memo was made public, AFL can complete the timeline of events that occurred between the National School Board Association (NSBA) memo to DOJ and the October 4 memo being published,” the group said.

“As AFL predicted on October 7, 2021, the normal process was not followed, with political leadership circumventing and disregarding the advice of DOJ lawyers.”

In social media statements, AFL described the findings as a “smoking gun” and summarized the situation with the line: “White House says ‘Jump,’ and DOJ replies ‘How high?’”

The organization concluded its statement by saying, “AG Garland’s memo mobilized the full force of the federal government’s firepower against concerned parents — not to protect schools, but to silence dissent.”

The Department of Justice has not responded publicly to the latest release.

AFL has indicated it plans to pursue further legal action in connection with the documents and related issues.

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