Whereas the initial story claimed that the reason for the SWAT raid on the man’s home was unpaid student loans, the Dept. of Education
released a statement that said this was not the case. “The Inspector General’s Office does not execute search warrants for late loan payments,” they said.
The search warrant was over an “ongoing criminal investigation,” and so they would not say more about the matter.
OK, so some of the story was wrong. The raid wasn’t over unpaid loans and was part of a larger investigation.
It has also been discovered that it wasn’t local police that executed the smash and grab operation. It was the Department of Education itself that did the door battering.
Even as some of the initial reports were wrong in some facts, none of these new particulars makes a bit of difference in what my main point that this is an overreach by our government and is proof of a growing police state. Since when does the Department of Education have SWAT teams, mounds of firearms, and iron boot-clad stormtroopers to batter down doors? What part of “education” gives the DoE the right to act like a paramilitary force?
But we had a warning that something like this was in the offing last year. With the help of
Uncoverage.net I was directed to a Washington Post
piece that reported that the Dept. of Ed had ordered an arsenal of firearms for its “agents” to use. (See
Gov’t notice of purchase.)
Again, what part of “education” gives the DoE the right to go wandering across the country armed to the teeth and battering down doors?
Even if this guy was involved in some sort of defrauding of money from the federal government (and the search warrant was looking for his ex-girlfriend, anyway, not him. Worse she no longer lived there.) why does the DoE have this right to military-like operations? It is an outrage that a department like the DoE has this legal right to wander around armed and battering down doors.
Sadly it isn’t just the DoE that is armed like this and has outrageous police powers. Not long ago
I wrote about how the folks at the National Archives also have “agents” that are armed and have police powers. That’s right, folks, mere file clerks have guns, badges, and the power to break down your door!
It is of a piece with the absurd powers that governments at all levels are taking onto themselves. Educators do not need to have para-military “agents” assigned to them. File clerks don’t need to have police powers.
Warner Todd Huston——
Bio and Archives
Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as Breitbart.com, among many, many others. He has also written for several history magazines, has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows.
He is also the owner and operator of Publius’ Forum.