House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan's persistent demands for transparency culminate in a significant document release from the FBI regarding several contentious Department of Justice investigations under President Biden's administration.
According to LifeZette, the FBI has handed over key documents following a late February subpoena, addressing investigations into school board meetings, Catholic surveillance, and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act enforcement.
FBI Assistant Director Marshall Yates confirmed the document transfer to Jordan through an official letter on Friday, emphasizing the bureau's commitment to congressional transparency under new Director Kash Patel's leadership.
The released documents include internal FBI records concerning former Attorney General Merrick Garland's controversial October 2021 school board memorandum, which directed federal agencies to investigate parents protesting at school board meetings. This directive faced significant criticism from Republicans who viewed it as an attempt to silence concerned families expressing their views at public forums.
The FBI's disclosure revealed that the "EDUOFFICIALS" threat tag, used to monitor parent-related concerns, has remained dormant since August 2022. An additional classified "Guardian" case, now closed, will be presented to Congress through secure channels.
Whistleblower testimony from November 2021 indicated that FBI counterterrorism resources were allocated to monitor parent activities at school board meetings, raising serious concerns about potential civil liberties violations.
The document release addressed the controversial Richmond Field Office memo from January 2023, which attempted to connect "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists" with "radical-traditionalist Catholic" ideology. This memo relied heavily on sources from left-wing media outlets, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, The Atlantic, and Salon.
The Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz's 2024 report identified "significant problems" with the memo's conclusions, particularly noting insufficient evidence linking traditional Catholic views to extremist activities. The FBI subsequently retracted the memo, acknowledging it failed to meet their standards.
Jordan had previously criticized the FBI's reliance on potentially biased sources and raised concerns about federal law enforcement infiltrating religious institutions.
The FBI's latest submission included detailed statistics on FACE Act investigations since May 2022, revealing a total of 55 cases. The breakdown showed one case involving abortion service facilities, 31 cases related to pregnancy resource centers, and 23 cases involving facilities offering both services.
Current Attorney General Pam Bondi has established a "Weaponization Working Group" to review potentially politically motivated actions by the DOJ and FBI. The group's investigation encompasses the school board memo, anti-Catholic FBI memo, and FACE Act implementation.
FBI spokesman Ben Williamson emphasized the agency's renewed commitment to transparency under Patel's leadership, promising continued cooperation with Chairman Jordan and Chairman Grassley.
The FBI has already shared an initial batch of records earlier in March, covering various aspects of the investigations, including documents related to January 6th pipe bombs and the now-defunct Foreign Influence Task Force. House Judiciary Committee spokesman Russell Dye expressed gratitude for Director Patel's cooperation and indicated forthcoming updates on the investigation. Attorney General Bondi's recent actions, including rescinding Garland's school board memo, signal a shift in departmental priorities and approach to controversial investigations. The Weaponization Working Group's findings are expected to influence future accountability measures within the Department of Justice and FBI.
