Rep. Jim Jordan calls on National School Boards Association leaders to testify

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has requested the interim CEO of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), Chip Slaven, and the NSBA's president, Dr. Viola Garcia, testify before the House Judiciary Committee for their involvement in seeking a Justice Department probe of parents.

In his letters to the NSBA leaders, Jordan explains how they wrote to President Biden, saying, "that 'malice, violence, and threats' against school officials 'could be the equivalent of a form of domestic terrorism or hate crimes,'" while suggesting the Patriot Act could be used to prosecute parents.

He added that for several weeks prior to the letter being sent, the NSBA was already "engaged with the White House and Department of Education," according to an email sent to their board members.

Five days after the letter was sent, Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered the FBI and U.S. Attorneys' offices to "address the 'disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence' at school board meetings," Jordan wrote. Garland told the Judiciary Committee that the NSBA's letter was the basis for this action.

Following Garland's testimony, the NSBA wrote a letter saying they regretted and apologized for sending the letter to Biden.

Jordan rebuked the NSBA for calling parents domestic terrorists and said the matter is being investigated.

"Parents cannot tolerate this collusion between the NSBA and the Biden administration to construct a justification for invoking federal law enforcement to intimidate and silence parents using their Constitutional rights to advocate for their child's future," his letter reads. "Therefore, to assist our investigation, we request that you make yourself available for a transcribed interview with the Committee as soon as possible."