An argument broke out Thursday between House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and ranking member Jim Jordan (R-OH) over a video that Republicans wanted to play for Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Nadler objected, saying Republicans had to provide 48 hours’ notice, but Jordan said no such rule existed.
Jordan wanted to play the video below, in which she questions whether parents are really domestic terrorists for voicing concerns at school board meetings.
This is a video of parents at school board meetings @RepJerryNadler he wouldn’t let us play at today’s Judiciary Committee hearing.
Why does the left feel so threatened by brave American parents? pic.twitter.com/GvJlkWoJa2
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) October 21, 2021
Earlier this month, Garland wrote in a memo that there has been a “disturbing increase in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff who participate in the critical work of running our nation’s public schools.”
He directed the FBI to work with U.S. attorneys and authorities at the federal, state and local levels to develop a strategy to address the problem.
The memo came days after the National Association of School Boards asked the Biden administration to operate various tools, including the PATRIOT Act, to address nonviolent situations at school board meetings, where parents have increasingly expressed opposition to issues related to with critical race theory and more into the education of their children.
After Nadler’s objection, Republicans wanted to know why Nadler was afraid to show the video.
“Mr. President, what are you afraid of?”
WATCH Jerry Nadler and committee Democrats set rules to block and censor video testimony from concerned parents at school board meetings from @WymiarJusticeGOP hearing with AG Garland: pic.twitter.com/2u2S73tsNl
— Rep. Chip Roy’s press office (@RepChipRoy) October 21, 2021
.@Justice Democrats censored the playing of this video during our hearing today. Why don’t they want America to see this? https://t.co/ZLBFggMmfI
— Congressman Cliff Bentz (@RepBentz) October 21, 2021
Republicans returned to the school board issue throughout the hearing.
For example, Republican Steve Chabot of Ohio told Garland that he “found it deeply disturbing that the National Association of School Boards convinced the Biden administration to incriminate you and your Department of Justice, the FBI… the parents involved as if they were domestic terrorists.”
