Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan joined an episode of Meet the Press on Sunday, battling moderator Chuck Todd over the FBI’s targeting of parents. The two spent a great deal of airtime revisiting the 2021 Loudon County school board scandal when educators were exposed for covering up multiple sexual assaults. The protests propelled now-Governor Glenn Youngkin to victory, but not without the FBI harassing more than two dozen concerned parents first. Chuck Todd offered his revision of the events.
Subscribe to Florida Jolt Newsletter!
“I want to unpack a little bit. You talk about the FBI abusing power when it comes to parents and the school board. School board members were getting death threats. These weren’t idle things, these weren’t parents just yelling and screaming. These were actual death threats to elected officials and the FBI got a tip. How do they not? Should they not look into a death threat when an elected official gets a death threat?”
Jordan pushed back and set the record straight,
“The school board writes a letter on September 29. Five days later the Attorney General of the United States issues a memorandum to 101 U.S. Attorneys’ offices around the country saying set up this line that they can report on. 16 days later, Chuck, the FBI sends out an e-mail to agents all across the country saying put this designation on parents reported on the snitch line that the Attorney General set up. So all that happens, think about it, September 29th, October 4th, October 20th. That all happens in 22 days. When have you ever seen the federal government move that fast? 25 parents.”
The school board’s letter drew outrage at the time for comparing protesting parents to violent terrorists. Merrick Garland had stated in September promising that parents were not being investigated as domestic terrorists. A whistleblower report published by Jordan the following month showed that the FBI’s counterterrorism division had, in fact, been tagging parents.
Todd fired back, insisting that the FBI still had a duty to follow up on legitimate death threats. Jordan interjected,
“25 parents get reported on that snitch line. They all get investigated. FBI shows up at their door. Guess how many have been charged? Zero.”
Todd was unconvinced,
“You are trying to create a controversy out of the FBI following up on a tip. I mean literally. This one in Loudoun County, Virginia, school board member if she doesn’t quit or resign before the end of the year we will kill her, but first we will kill you. These were among the comments. In Dublin, Ohio, school board member you have become our enemies. You will be removed one way or the other. Shouldn’t the FBI investigate these things?”
Jordan set the record straight,
“One of the people they went to investigate is a mom and they said because she’s in the group Moms for Liberty and because they have firearms at their house they go investigate her. You’re gonna investigate an American for that? They show up at your house? You don’t think that has a chilling impact on other parents?
So there’s a school board meeting tonight. Mr. Jones is thinking about going and talking at the School board meeting and then he says you know what? Maybe I won’t go, maybe I won’t speak up because I know Mrs. Smith had a visit from the FBI last week. The chilling impact on First Amendment free speech is what we care about. This committee is about protecting the constitution in particular the First Amendment.”
Follow Florida Jolt on Twitter
During the protests, Jordan was a leading critic of the FBI’s harassment campaign. Following publishing the whistleblower report, the Biden White House offered a pledge to work with Jordan and the GOP to investigate any “misuse” of the FBI’s authority.
- Gaetz Resigns From Congress After AG Nomination - November 14, 2024
- Trump Taps Elon, Vivek, Rubio for New Admin - November 13, 2024
- Trump’s Final Campaign Message: ‘We Fight’ - November 4, 2024