DOJ Report Says FBI Opened 25 Assessments Involving Parents After 2021 School-Board Memo
Publication date: October 6, 2026
Report release: October 5, 2026
Underlying memorandum: October 4, 2021
The Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group released a report reviewing Attorney General Merrick Garland’s October 4, 2021 memorandum directing federal law-enforcement agencies to address threats against school officials. DOJ says the FBI opened 25 “Guardian assessments” involving parents after the memorandum.
The report says one mother was investigated after a tip cited her gun ownership and membership in a “right-wing mom’s group.” A joint DOJ and Education Department release identified the organization as Moms for Liberty. The published materials reviewed here do not identify the mother.
What the report says
The Working Group says more than a dozen DOJ and FBI personnel raised concerns about the memo, including First Amendment concerns. The current DOJ report concludes the memo resulted from White House pressure and wrongly weaponized the department against parents. Those are the Working Group’s conclusions based on its review of internal records; they are not court findings.
Status and responses
DOJ says most of the 25 assessments have been closed or discontinued. The department says affected parents and other school-board meeting participants will be offered an opportunity to review their FBI files, that disclaimers will be added to related assessments, and that it will review files for possible constitutional violations. The report says the Working Group is unaware of DOJ prosecutions arising from these investigations. No related court ruling is identified in the report.
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich called the findings “vindication” and said parents had become afraid to speak publicly. Those are her attributed views. Fox News reported that it sought comment from the FBI and White House; its article did not include a response from either. The Education Department referred Fox to its release and letter.