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FACT BRIEF

Did the FBI under President Joe Biden label concerned parents who spoke at school board meetings "domestic terrorists," as a Wisconsin congressman claims?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents most of northern Wisconsin, said President “Joe Biden’s FBI labeled concerned parents who spoke at school board meetings as domestic terrorists.”

We found no evidence of that.

Tiffany’s office cited a September 2021 letter from the nonprofit National School Boards Association to Biden that likened the violent threats directed at school officials over COVID-19 precautions and teaching on race as akin to "domestic terrorism."

But in an October 2021 response, Attorney General Merrick Garland did not adopt that comparison. He directed the FBI to examine violent threats targeting teachers and school officials, not parents speaking at school board meetings. The memo focused on criminal conduct, including violent threats and intimidation, not "spirited debate about policy matters" which is "protected under our Constitution.”

Tiffany is preparing a possible 2024 run against U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in 2024.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
CNN Fact check: Kevin McCarthy keeps repeating false claim that attorney general called parents ‘terrorists’ for wanting to attend school board meetings
PolitiFact FBI, DOJ tagged threats against school officials, not parents for attending school board meetings
PolitiFact Rick Scott wrongly warns FBI coming after loud parents at school board meetings
PolitiFact No, parents who question school curriculums haven’t been labeled domestic terrorists
Internet Archive NSBA letter to President Biden
US Department of Justice Partnership among Federal, State, Local, Tribal and Territorial law enforcement to address threats against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.