January 1, FBI Mistakenly Targeted Catholic Teacher After Rally

Wyatt’s Take

• Federal watchlists can snag innocent Americans, and one teacher learned this the hard way.
• Anonymous tips and shaky surveillance do not make justice.
• We need real oversight whenever government power threatens freedom.

Senator Rand Paul’s latest investigation shows how a Texas Catholic schoolteacher, Christine Crowder, was wrongly put on a terror watchlist after attending a Trump rally in Washington, D.C. in January 2021.

Despite having no record and proof she wasn’t at the Capitol, the FBI labeled her a domestic terrorist and kept her and her family under air-travel surveillance for over two years.

“A free society cannot tolerate a system in which programs and authorities intended to keep the public safe are instead weaponized against them due to mere suspicion.”

Records reveal the FBI began investigating Crowder based on an unverified tip and opened a case, even though there was no facial recognition match and her phone placed her elsewhere on January 6th. Surveillance of her home followed, and she was given “selectee” status and placed on the Terrorist Screening Dataset.

Her husband, a federal air marshal, testified that she was watched by the FBI and Federal Air Marshal Service for over two years, after the investigation started from a friend’s tip.

Even after checking her background and finding nothing, the bureau kept pressing on, conducting physical surveillance and eventually getting a warrant to search her Facebook account. It took nearly a year before the FBI talked to the original tipster.

“This case is an example of misplaced priorities and everything that went wrong with federal law enforcement in the aftermath of January 6.”

Crowder was not interviewed until May 2023, where she provided evidence showing she was not in the Capitol during the event. Only after two years and confirmation it was a case of mistaken identity did the FBI finally close the investigation.

“When a Catholic kindergarten teacher from Texas can be surveilled for more than two years simply for being in Washington, D.C., without entering the Capitol, without committing a crime, we have crossed from legitimate investigation into political overreach. That is not equal justice under the law. Senator Paul is right to demand accountability, transparency, and an end to investigations that target Americans for their beliefs or proximity rather than evidence.”

Don’t let the government steamroll your rights or anyone else’s. Let your voice be heard against abuse of power.

Wyatt Matters

When regular folks get caught up in secret lists and red tape just for going to a rally, it’s a warning for all of us. Limited government and real accountability matter for every family in the heartland.

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