The Daily Wire, a conservative news outlet, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for failing to respond to their public information requests about the agency’s Community Relations Service (CRS).
The CRS, which describes itself as “America’s Peacemaker,” offers mediation services between local governments and communities facing conflict based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. However, the agency has come under fire for its perceived left-wing bias and attempts to influence local government policies.
In August, The Daily Wire obtained an email showing a CRS employee offering “support and services” to a school board in Roanoke, Virginia, regarding Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s transgender policies. This move, which was seen as an attempt to thwart the will of the voters and reward criminal behavior, sparked further scrutiny of the agency.
In response, The Daily Wire filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for emails from the CRS employee, Hannah Levine. However, the agency did not acknowledge the request. In October, the media outlet filed a second FOIA request for broader information about CRS’s operations, but once again, there was no response from the agency.
America First Legal (AFL), acting as lawyers for The Daily Wire, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking the release of the documents and requesting reimbursement for legal fees. Ian Prior, a senior advisor for AFL, called the Department of Justice’s actions in Virginia “eye-opening” and criticized their lack of response to the FOIA requests.
COMMENT: I’m going to wager that you’ve never heard of the “Community Relations Service.” It’s a secret sub-agency acting as a federal extension of and on behalf of the DOJ.
Daily Wire Sues Biden DOJ For Concealing Records On Its Partisan Riot Squad https://t.co/LZbW8QZbrU
— iVoteAmerica® (@iVoteAmerica) December 26, 2023
The current lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions by The Daily Wire, including a lawsuit against the State Department for allegedly sponsoring censorship of conservative media and a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses with over 100 employees.
In response to the lawsuit, a spokeswoman for CRS stated that the agency’s mandate was authorized by Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and expanded in 2009 to include working against hate crimes. However, the agency’s actions, such as attempting to shape local government policies and offering training programs on issues like transgender rights and perceived racism, have been seen as partisan by critics.
According to its website, CRS mediators are impartial and do not advocate for any party or issue. However, The Daily Wire’s FOIA request revealed that the agency holds “facilitations” and “consultations” where it advocates for leftist causes and portrays conservative policies in a negative light.
Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has called for the elimination of CRS’s budget, stating that the agency has only raised tensions in communities and undermined its core mission.
The Daily Wire’s lawsuit is part of its dedication to investigative journalism and government transparency. With the help of AFL, the media outlet hopes to obtain the documents and shed light on this secretive agency’s operations.