A.G. Gancarski
On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis reengaged his political operation, with a fundraising email charging President Joe Biden with “weaponizing” the Department of Justice in pursuit of what the Governor calls “heinous indoctrination.”
At issue for DeSantis: Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for moves that the Justice Department says are “designed to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.”
Garland issued a memorandum calling for the FBI and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to meet in the next 30 days with federal, state, Tribal, territorial and local law enforcement leaders regarding the “disturbing trend” of threats against school board members, teachers and workers in public schools. At issue in many of these confrontations are issues ranging from masks to so-called critical race theory, and the confrontations have rattled administrators.
The email did not engage the nuance of the outlined strategy, but instead condemned it as another salvo from the Biden Administration in the culture war.
“Attorney General Merrick Garland is ordering the FBI to target, intimidate, and SILENCE parents who exercise their First Amendment rights at local school board meetings,” the text reads. “This is an egregious abuse of power by the federal government and an all-out assault on parental rights.”
“Parents have the right to be the voice for their children and protect them from radical curriculums like Critical Race Theory being taught in the classroom. And now, Joe Biden’s Administration is attempting to silence parents speaking out against this heinous indoctrination of our children,” the appeal continues.
Vowing to “stand side-by-side with Florida parents,” DeSantis kept the language heated ahead of the call for donations.
“I will NOT allow Joe Biden to weaponize the federal government against Florida’s parents, and we are going to fight like hell to protect the First Amendment rights of every parent in this state,” DeSantis asserted.
The fundraising appeal offers a reminder of the Governor’s vow this summer to get his “political apparatus” involved in school board races, and likely will only serve to boost the roughly $53 million the committee had on hand as of the end of August.
The Governor’s Office had offered its own version of this pushback earlier this week.
“Attorney General Garland is weaponizing the DOJ by using the FBI to pursue concerned parents and silence them through intimidation,” the Governor said. “Florida will defend the free speech rights of its citizens and will not allow federal agents to squelch dissent.”
Garland frames the initiative differently, stressing that officials are being threatened.
“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” Garland wrote. “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.”
Threats against board members are not hypotheticals. As the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported, School Board Chair Shirley Brown has had protesters outside her home, calling her a “tyrant” for backing a mask rule and calling for her resignation.
However, other leading Republicans in the state interpret the guidance as a way of squelching dissent rather than keeping public servants safe.
“They have normalized this behavior when it comes to left-wing protesters,” U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio thundered. “But then, when it comes to a parent speaking out about a school board, they want to sic the FBI on them. This is crazy.”
“If you’d told me five years ago this was going to happen, I’d have said there’s no way. There’s no way this is going to happen,” Rubio added. “It’s happening.”
Rubio’s position is shared by other prominent Florida Republicans, including Sen. Rick Scott.
“Joe Biden’s attorney general wants the FBI to go after parents for speaking out at school board meetings to protect kids from radical curriculum like critical race theory,” Scott tweeted. “Biden’s disgusting socialist agenda must end. We won’t let him intimidate & silence parents.”
14 comments
Alex
October 8, 2021 at 5:55 pm
DeAnus loves criminals who believe his lies that they have the right to endanger entire classrooms of kids over the fundamental fact masks reduce the transmission of the covid virus.
I can’t wait for the comments from Judges questioning lil Ronnie’s sanity and competence.
Impeach Biden
October 9, 2021 at 10:02 am
I can’t wait for the comments from Judges questioning lil Ronnie’s sanity and competence.
How about we test both DeSantis and “Dementia” Joe for competency? We all know what the results of that would be. I’m sure DeSantis would be up for the challenge. What about the incoherent and incompetent one?
Tom Palmer
October 8, 2021 at 6:17 pm
Which parents? There are two sides.
Jerry
October 8, 2021 at 10:07 pm
So Biden and Garland believe it’s domestic terrorism when parents speak out against Critical Race Theory at school board meetings. But far-left activists can chase, harass, and videotape Sen. Kyrsten Sinema when she’s going to the bathroom, and Biden says that harassment is “part of the process” and refuses to condemn it.
Just more proof that the far-left are trying desperately hard to suppress free speech from conservatives and eliminate political dissent. Liberals want to turn America into China or Russia where everyone lives in fear of speaking out against the government.
jones
October 9, 2021 at 4:24 am
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Ron Ogden
October 9, 2021 at 5:49 am
This debate will resolve itself with time as more and more parents vote with their feet. As more and more of them send their children to private, church, and charter schools as well as home schools, the number of children in government schools will dwindle to the point it no longer is efficient to operate them. Bless the day! The state should expedite this change by encouraging private organizations, especially private organizations of color to start their own schools. Florida is one of the leaders in the number of Black Owned Schools, for example. More needs to be done.
Alex
October 9, 2021 at 9:41 am
And there it is.
Republicans hate public education because they want to indoctrinate them into willful ignorance, racism (I guarantee these schools will have very few minorities, and gender segregation will be common), alternative history (can’t teach the FACT systemic racism exists), and bible thumping hellfire/Father O’Pedo’s butt fuck school.
And no, I will not pay to send your kids there.
Period.
Tom
October 9, 2021 at 8:51 am
All Elected and appointed officials are not above critique or criticism. Especially the U S A G, whose daughter & son in law are apparently financially benefiting from the CRT. As consultants in VA they are providing services. He the AG should have recused self.
FP made no mention of this but should have. FP referenced the Sarasota apparent example. That’s the way it goes when holding public office. POTUS just said that.
Tony Nelson
October 9, 2021 at 9:37 am
FP is a leftist rag. Anyone that thinks otherwise has a defective brain.
Impeach Biden
October 9, 2021 at 10:48 am
Agree. Just like the People’s Paper of Ft Lauderdale “Sun Sentinel”.
Tom
October 9, 2021 at 11:21 am
Yes Tony and Impeach Joe.
America’s Gov is leading with character snd class. Unlike the Manchurian haters who share demented non facts. The hate that is perpetuated by columns that unfortunately lean in that way is extreme.
Say a prayer for the wonderful First Lady!
Frankie, Alex and JD master Manchurians have said rude things of her. They will deny but we remember.
FP Monitor
October 9, 2021 at 6:00 pm
It’s a big mistake is to respond to anything Tom posts. He’s an ignorant Trumpster hack simply looking for attention. Do yourself and all of us a big favor …… ignore all of his return comments. Maybe the internet troll will go away.
Tom
October 9, 2021 at 6:37 pm
IfYes Tony and Impeach Joe.
America’s Gov is leading with character snd class. Unlike the Manchurian haters who share demented non facts. The hate that is perpetuated by columns that unfortunately lean in that way is extreme.
Say a prayer for the wonderful First Lady!
Frankie, Alex and JD master Manchurians have said rude things of her. They will deny but we remember.
Tom
October 9, 2021 at 6:40 pm
IF Y O U SEE KAY, tell her Y O U!
LMAO facts hurt dumb ass f p monitor and Manchurians
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