Imagine being a Catholic school teacher, minding your own business, only to find out the FBI has you on a terrorist watchlist for no good reason.
According to Just the News, Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul has dropped a bombshell, alleging that the Biden administration’s FBI has been snooping on innocent Americans, including a Texas teacher named Christine Crowder, based on flimsy tips tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Let’s rewind to that infamous day in 2021 when supporters of then-President Donald Trump marched on Capitol Hill to protest the certification of the 2020 election results, claiming irregularities that deserved scrutiny.
Fast forward to the fifth anniversary of that event, and Sen. Paul is sounding the alarm about what he sees as a dangerous overreach by federal authorities.
Christine Crowder, a kindergarten teacher, wasn’t even at the Capitol during the protest, though she did attend a Trump rally in Washington, D.C., earlier that day.
Yet, based on an unverified tip from someone who thought they spotted her in riot footage, the FBI decided to turn her life upside down.
The tipster’s claim didn’t hold water—initial checks on Crowder’s face and location data came up empty—but that didn’t stop the FBI from putting her and her family under surveillance for nearly two years.
They didn’t just watch her; they slapped her on a travel watchlist, dug into her Facebook account with a warrant, and even geared up for a prosecution case. Apparently, in the eyes of some bureaucrats, attending a rally is enough to paint you as a domestic threat worthy of a full-blown spy novel treatment.
Finally, in 2023, the FBI dropped the case, admitting they couldn’t definitively place Crowder at the Capitol during the riot.
But two years of harassment for an innocent woman? That’s not justice; it’s a wake-up call about how far government power can stretch when unchecked.
Sen. Paul didn’t mince words, telling Fox News, “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.”
He’s right—safety shouldn’t mean sacrificing liberty, especially when the evidence is thinner than a paper towel.
Paul also pointed out to Fox News, “The records released today show how an unverified tip that the FBI failed to substantiate led to nearly two years of surveillance of an innocent American.”
This isn’t just about one teacher; it’s about a pattern of overzealous policing that risks turning everyday citizens into targets of a system meant to protect them, all while progressive policies seem to prioritize control over common sense.