BATON ROUGE, LA - Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry issued the
following statement after the Attorney General of the United States threatened
to infringe on a parent's right to free speech:
"It is outrageous to hear reports that President
Joe Biden is attempting to use the Attorney General of the United States as a
weapon against American parents. What have we become as a Nation?
Parents have Constitutional rights, including the
freedom of speech. Parents have a right to have their voices heard in front of
elected officials, including their elected School Board members. Parents also
need to have their voices heard by local, state, and federal education
officials who are employed to work for the people and paid by the public
treasury. If a parent's free speech rights are being infringed, especially by
the Attorney General of the United States, I will stand up and fight back to
protect them.
As I travel Louisiana and speak with parents throughout
our State, I hear many who say they may be interested in running for school
board in upcoming elections. In addition, I am hearing from many parents who
have expressed interest in participating as volunteers in these campaigns. If
we should find that the Attorney General of the United States or officials
directed by the Attorney General are seeking to interfere or intimidate these
individuals, we may need to further examine whether those actions could
constitute a form of voter intimidation or election interference.
I will not stand by idly as federal officials seek to
impose their will, unconstitutionally, on the American people. I will not stand
by as federal officials seek to impose their will outside their jurisdiction. I
will not stand by as parents and citizens are threatened or intimidated by
their own government."