Career attorneys in the DOJ argued in the released correspondence that such a move was legally baseless and would trample the First Amendment rights of parents.

The government documents, obtained by America First Legal, "conclusively prove" a memo from former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland "mobilized the full force of the federal government's firepower against concerned parents—not to protect schools, but to silence dissent"  and the ensuing investigation was "politically orchestrated and coordinated with the Biden White House," America First Legal charged Friday.

The AFL in an extensive release on its website reported:

These never-before-seen documents—uncovered only because of AFL's relentless efforts over the past three and a half years—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.

The photocopies of emails and documents involved were also published on the website.

In one letter obtained by AFL, Kevin Chambers, an aide to the attorney general, wrote to a colleague on Oct. 1, 2021: "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."

Fox News reported that Garland issued a directive on Oct. 4, 2021, that directed the FBI to assist local law enforcement partners with a "disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence" against school administrators.

Garland told a congressional hearing soon thereafter that he had given the directive after the National School Board Association (NSBA) sent a letter to the White House that had asked the Biden administration to investigate parents displaying threatening behavior at school board meetings as possible "domestic terrorists," the news network reported.

The NSBA later retracted the request.

Career DOJ lawyers were concerned about any legal effort to take action on that letter, documents show.