Republican senators criticized the Justice Department over Attorney General Merrick Garland’s new memorandum related to alleged violence and intimidation at school board meetings, calling it an attempt to target concerned parents.

The back and forth came during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday in which Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco faced questions about the DOJ’s recent actions, with Garland announcing that the DOJ would soon “announce a series of measures designed to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.”