Guest Post from FreedomTalk Magazine Staff
The U.S. Department of Justice under Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche effectively shut down the Weaponization Working Group—created by executive order to investigate federal abuses against American citizens—and removed Ed Martin from leadership without public notice, formal justification, or documented presidential authorization.
The central question remains unanswered. As FreedomTalk Founder and Parents Demanding Justice Alliance (PDJA) Co-Founder Kelly John Walker asked Dr. Maria Ryan on her show April 1, “By what justification did you close down the Weaponization Working Group—the very body instituted to evaluate the conduct of the DOJ? By what authority did you do that?”
The Weaponization Working Group was established under the authority of Executive Order 14147, “Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government,” issued by Donald Trump on January 20, 2025. It was tasked with reviewing documented cases of federal overreach, including the targeting of parents at school board meetings.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s own directive establishing the Weaponization Working Group expressly requires the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate “abuses of the criminal justice process, coercive behavior, and other forms of misconduct,” including reviewing prior enforcement actions to determine whether they were “designed to achieve political objectives…rather than pursuing justice.”
The memo further directs a comprehensive review of federal actions affecting First Amendment activity and other protected conduct—categories that encompass the documented targeting of school parents—and obligates the Department to identify misconduct and report findings for corrective action.
In parallel guidance, Bondi reaffirmed the DOJ’s duty to protect parents’ “fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children,” reinforcing that violations against parents fall squarely within the Department’s enforcement responsibilities.
Together, these provisions do not merely permit review—they mandate investigation, including weaponization against parents.
According to firsthand testimony and legally recorded interactions with DOJ officials, that mandate was never carried out. Instead, the effort was quietly dismantled internally—outside public or congressional scrutiny and reportedly without President Trump’s prior knowledge.
Walker reported that in a January 23 in-person meeting with senior DOJ counsel, it was disclosed to him that Ed Martin—appointed to lead the effort—had been removed without public acknowledgment.
“Ed Martin’s no longer of the Weaponization Working Group…nobody even knows that yet,” the official told Walker.
Martin had been one of the only officials actively engaging with affected families and reviewing submitted cases. His removal coincided with a broader pattern of halted action:
· A scheduled October hearing with Attorney General Bondi was canceled and never rescheduled. Yet on October 7, 2025, Bondi testified to the Senate that the targeting issue had been resolved.
· Martin was prevented from attending the July 15, 2025 Capitol Hill “Vindicating Parents” press conference sponsored by Representatives Andy Ogles and Andy Biggs, with participation from the leading parental rights groups and parental witnesses. The DOJ never formally responded to the public testimony.
· Communication between the Weaponization Working Group and the Parents Demanding Justice Alliance (PDJA) ceased and was redirected through DOJ leadership aligned with Blanche.
· Complaints filed by affected parents were denied or ignored.
At the same time, internal DOJ language appears unchanged from Biden-era confrontational rhetoric. During the January meeting, the same Blanche senior official stated, “It’s a feeling throughout the DOJ that we don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
That characterization had been applied to parents starting in 2021, by Merrick Garland and Joe Biden—despite the absence of federal indictments supporting such claims. The administration’s decision to apply a “domestic terrorist” threat tag to dissenting parents ultimately received pushback from members of Congress, state attorneys general, and the public, forcing Garland and the NASB to recant and apologize—while failing to rescind the authorization.
Even under the Trump administration, requests for relief, restitution, or review have been met with dismissal. In one exchange, DOJ leadership made its position explicit when Walker communicated that targeted parents deserve justice and restoration: “Don’t expect that from the DOJ.”
Affected individuals who followed formal complaint procedures report that their cases were rejected without remedy. “We had parents who filed all the paperwork only to have their cases waved away,” reported Walker. “One of the parents who was very diligent to do all his paperwork—he’s a lawyer—came down to testify at the press conference on July 15th. He went home and suffered retribution for having testified on Capitol Hill, after which he went to the DOJ and asked for help. Did they help him? No, they refused to look at his case.”
Instead of internal resolution as per Executive Order and congressional oversight direction, DOJ officials reportedly directed victims toward litigation against the federal government itself: “Well, if you want justice, then sue the DOJ,” the senior official told Walker, to which he replied, “With what money? You guys have taken everything from me—how am I supposed to do this?”
🚨 BREAKING: Trump DOJ official caught on tape calling conservative parents “terrorists” over email demanding accountability
In a stunning leaked recording, a top legal adviser to @DAGToddBlanche – former judge Vance Day – referred to conservative parents as “terrorists” and… pic.twitter.com/flYfpvFs9w
— LindellTV (@RealLindellTV) February 4, 2026
The shutdown also followed reported internal conflicts tied to investigative actions involving Adam Schiff. According to the account, after Martin took steps to examine Schiff’s real estate dealings, Todd Blanche shifted focus to scrutinizing Martin himself, culminating in Martin’s removal rather than any investigation of Schiff.
“Revelations from undercover reporting by James O’Keefe—and discussions I’ve had with him directly—point to an intent within federal ranks to ‘play out the clock’ on executive directives, creating the illusion of compliance while quietly subverting them,” says Walker. “That’s exactly what we’re seeing with the shutdown of the Weaponization Working Group, done without President Trump’s knowledge, and the sidelining of Ed Martin after he began probing Adam Schiff.”
Internal sources say Ed Martin refused to resign—but was effectively neutered after blowing the whistle on Adam Schiff. Reports further indicate that internal objections were raised within DOJ—and overridden. Those who questioned the legality or propriety of these actions were sidelined, fired or pressured to resign.
Further raising concerns, internal discussions suggest that any future action may be tied to optics rather than substance.
“What I was told in that meeting with Blanche’s Senior Counsel was maybe they’ll reschedule [the Bondi hearing with parents] around the opening of schools in May so we have a press talking point,” reports Walker. “And I’m sitting there thinking, it’s January and you’re gonna extend this out to May so that you can have some good press on this? These parents are suffering right now—two have already taken their own lives out of despair. This can’t wait!”
The result is a complete halt of the only formal mechanism created to investigate DOJ misconduct against American citizens.
“The DOJ is in default,” said Walker. “They have broken the Constitution and the law—it’s all there.”
“We’re told the DOJ is reforming itself—purging excess and restoring trust—but the evidence suggests evasion: delay, denial, and the preservation of appearances while avoiding accountability,” says Walker.
“The DOJ’s response to me has been ad hominem attacks against parents for speaking out and against me for legally recording a meeting that revealed a gap between what they say internally and what they report to President Trump and the American people,” says Walker. “I was called ‘disingenuous’ for exposing their own words and told not to expect cooperation. I say it is disingenuous for DOJ to gaslight the public into believing they are self-reforming and following the will of the voters. We expected allies under the Trump administration—their actions show otherwise.”
“I challenge President Trump, meet with me as a representative of the parents, talk to these parents, see what’s going on,” Walker told Ryan. “Clean up your administration. If they’re not following your executive orders, then that’s sedition against you, and I think President Trump deserves to know what’s going on. This is a clear-cut issue; this is a win for the Trump Administration.”
“We need to come through for these parents. It’s the right thing to do.”
Kelly John Walker is an American statesman, senior writer, author, and entrepreneur. He is the Founder of FreedomTalk, Editor-in-Chief of FreedomTalk Magazine, and Co-Founder of Parents Demanding Justice Alliance. His work has appeared in The Washington Times, Gateway Pundit, The Epoch Times, Newsmax, and more. He’s a frequent guest on national news and commentary programs. Kelly holds degrees in English, Theology, and a Master of Science earned on a U.S. Department of Defense fellowship. In 2020, after being canceled and arrested for standing against government overreach, he became a leading independent journalist and advocate for liberty and parental rights.
