The Significance of FBI Whistleblower Documents on Parents and Domestic Terrorism: Marc Ruskin

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

FBI documents apparently leaked by a bureau whistleblower suggest that federal law enforcement is treating threats against school board members as potential acts of domestic terrorism. Retired FBI agent and author of โ€œThe Pretender: My Life Undercover for the FBIโ€ Marc Ruskin spoke with The Epoch Times about what the documents mean and why they matter.

Though the documents released by the whistleblower have sparked outrage among parents, civil libertarians, and Republican lawmakers, the documents themselves donโ€™t say much. The whistleblower provided an Oct. 20 email sent by Carlton L. Peeples, who serves in the bureauโ€™s Inspection Division, stating that the Counterterrorism and Criminal Division โ€œcreated a threat tag, EDUOFFICIALS, to track instances of related threats.โ€

โ€œWe ask that your offices apply the threat tag to investigations and assessments of threats specifically directed against school board administrators, board members, teachers, and staff,โ€ the email reads, signed by Counterterrorism Division Assistant Director Timothy Langan and then-Criminal Division Assistant Director Calvin Shivers.

Though the email isnโ€™t much longer than that, Ruskin said itโ€™s significant because it suggests that federal law enforcement is taking this investigation seriously.

โ€œThe fact that a tag has been assigned to these cases would indicate to me that itโ€™s something theyโ€™re anticipating moving forward with these investigations,โ€ he said.

The EDUOFFICIALS tag is likely a data-processing device similar to a hashtag on social media, according to Ruskin. The bureau is trying to coordinate its efforts, so that agents investigating school board threats in one jurisdiction know whatโ€™s going on nationwide, he said.

โ€œApplying the tag across the counterterrorism and criminal divisions would be to avoid any cases being lost in the cracks,โ€ Ruskin said.

He also said the fact that the tag is being used by the counterterrorism division suggests that the FBI will also be treating some of the school board threats as domestic terrorism cases. This is the true significance of the whistleblower documents, he said.

โ€œThereโ€™s an intention or a likelihood that individuals being investigated are going to be categorized as domestic terrorists,โ€ Ruskin said.

He said the decision by the FBI to classify angry parents as domestic terrorism threats has dark implications for free speech rights.

โ€œThe idea that the FBI is treating individuals who express opinions contrary to the prevailing government opinion as domestic terrorists is disturbing from a First Amendment point of view,โ€ Ruskin said. โ€œAnd it may very well be intended to have a chilling effect on freedom of expression.

โ€œWhy is the FBI using its counterterrorism division to investigate cases of parents who get upsetโ€”even if theyโ€™re yelling or shouting? How does that fit into any sort of definition of terrorism?โ€

By Ken Silva

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Was Texas Storm Manmade?

Another โ€œ1-in-100 yearsโ€ weather event in Kerr County happened next to a Texas designated โ€œWeather Modification Map of Rain-Enhancement Projects in Texasโ€.

The America Party Will Harm Democrats The Most

Elon Musk formed the America Party after an X poll asking his followers if they wanted โ€œindependence from the two-party system!

Democrats Exhibit the Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE)

โ€œThe Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their competence, while those with high ability underestimate their competence.

250 Countdown

Those 56 intrepid men who signed put their very lives, honor and fortunes on the line. There was no auto-quill to accommodate their signatures.ย 

How the Senate Parliamentarian Changed the OBBB

An unelected bureaucrat does a important job in the U.S. Senate. Elizabeth MacDonough enforces senate rules on Trumpโ€™s โ€œOne Big Beautiful Billโ€.

Trial Begins Over Trump Adminโ€™s Deportations of Pro-Palestinian Students

A trial over President Trumpโ€™s attempts to deport pro-Palestinian activists began on July 7 with attorneys debating free speech.

Man Killed After Opening Fire at Border Patrol Facility in Texas

27-year-old man armed with a rifle was killed after opening fire outside Border Patrol facility in McAllen, TX, prompting shootout with feds and local police.

California Rejects Federal Push to End Transgender Participation in School Sports

CA education officials are refusing to end policies allowing transgender students to participate in school sports consistent with their gender identities.

Amazon Prime Day Set to Lift US Online Sales by $23.8 Billion

Online spending in the United States is expected to surge by $23.8 billion during Amazonโ€™s expanded Prime Day event from July 8 to July 11.

Trump to Extend Tariff Deadline to Aug. 1, Keep Rates at 10 Percent During Talks

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump will sign the order to move the deadline to Aug. 1 from its current date of July 9.

DOJ, FBI Find Epstein Committed Suicide, Had No โ€˜Client Listโ€™

Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and had no โ€œclient list,โ€ according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI.

National Weather Service Fully Staffed During Deadly Texas Flooding: White House

White House press sec. Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the National Weather Service had a full staff on hand to handle the Central Texas flooding.

US Removes Terrorist Designation for Al Qaeda Affiliate in Syria

The State Department has removed from its list of foreign terrorist organizations Al Qaedaโ€™s affiliate in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra.
spot_img

Related Articles