A Department of Justice (DOJ) unit reportedly categorized and tracked the conservative activist organization “Moms for Liberty” in the same way it tracked the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), according to internal emails initially reported on by The Daily Wire.  The Justice Department has an internal unit dubbed the Community Relations Service (CRS), which claims its role is to prevent and respond to “community tensions and hate crimes, bias, bullying, and discrimination.” The DOJ-CRS was reportedly tracking Moms for Liberty alongside symbols such as the noose, the Confederate flag, and the swastika.
Photo by Paul Hennessy / SOPA Images/Sipa USA

A Department of Justice (DOJ) unit reportedly categorized and tracked the conservative activist organization “Moms for Liberty” in the same way it tracked the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), according to internal emails initially reported on by The Daily Wire. 

The Justice Department has an internal unit dubbed the Community Relations Service (CRS), which claims its role is to prevent and respond to “community tensions and hate crimes, bias, bullying, and discrimination.” The DOJ-CRS was reportedly tracking Moms for Liberty alongside symbols such as the noose, the Confederate flag, and the swastika. 

DOJ-CRS was reportedly following the KKK, a second KKK-oriented group, the Oath Keepers, and Moms for Liberty. 

According to emails from DOJ-CRS specialist Hanna Levine, the department set up Google alerts for articles that said “washington, dc n-word,” “washington, dc confederate flag,” and “moms for liberty virginia.” 

On July 20, 2023, a Google alert notified the DOJ-CRS that Moms for Liberty was protesting in favor of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposed policies for transgender students. The policies would force public schools to disclose a student’s perceived gender identity to the parents. 

Days after the Google alert, DOJ-CRS specialist Levine wrote to school board members in Roanoke County, Virginia, to offer their “services in conflict resolution.” There is currently no evidence that Moms for Liberty was committing hate crimes or bullying members of the Roanoke County School Board. 

“CRS is aware of the ongoing community tensions in Roanoke county following the release of the new model policies for transgender students,” the email to the local school board reportedly reads. “I’d like to connect to see if we might be able to offer support and services as you work to manage conflict within the community related to this.” 

The DOJ initially barred this information from the public record by ignoring a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) submitted by a journalist. America First Legal filed a lawsuit against the DOJ for concealing records.