Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio revealed the first targets of his investigation into Biden’s Education Department in a document obtained by the Daily Caller.
In a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Jordan called for voluntary compliance with “several requests for information and documents concerning the Biden Administration’s misuse of federal criminal and counterterrorism resources to target concerned parents at school board meetings.” He informed Cardona in the document “if our requests remain outstanding at the beginning of the 118th Congress, the Committee may be forced to resort to compulsory process to obtain the material we require.”
The document specifies Cardona has ignored or “failed to respond sufficiently” to several similar requests made as recently as Oct. 17. Additionally, Jordan hopes the Education Department will cooperate with the House Judiciary Committee’s anticipated testimony requirements for three employees, the letter says.
He lists Kimberly Watkins-Foote, Director, National Engagement Division, Larry Bowden, Senior Advisory to the Secretary and Nicholas Simmons, Special Assistant, Office of the Secretary as DOE employees who should be prepared to testify in hearings or transcribed interviews. Their testimony will be in addition to periodic hearings the Judiciary Committee may convene, Rep. Jordan’s letter clarifies.
“This is just the first step in our investigation into the Biden Administration’s role in the school boards spying scandal. Expect more to come,” Jordan told the Daily Caller. The letter is sponsored by 18 Republican lawmakers respectively.
It was reported in 2021 that Cardona allegedly solicited the National School Board Association’s (NSBA) letter comparing parents to domestic terrorists, according to emails obtained by Parents Defending Education (PDE). The letter allegedly advocated for federal investigators to monitor and intervene in activities by concerned parents, PDE emails showed. After the letter was publicized, the NBSA sent out a memo to members saying “we regret and apologize for the letter.”
The Education Department told the Daily Caller they would “share your message with others” when asked for comment.