One year after the Capitol insurrection, the DOJ is building a new unit focused on domestic terrorism.
Justice Department National Security Division Chief Matt Olsen told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that the FBI was investigating more than twice as many domestic violent extremist cases as it was two years ago.
“We have seen a growing threat from those who are motivated by racial animus, as well as those who ascribe to extremist anti-government and anti-authority ideologies,” Olsen said.
Olsen added that the unit regards domestic violent extremists as those who “seek to commit violent criminal acts in furtherance of domestic social or political goals,” and that federal prosecutors in the unit would help coordinate investigations and prosecutions.
The Biden administration has grappled with right-wing domestic extremism since its inauguration. It spent the first few months developing a national strategy which, when released in June, called for more spending at DOJ and FBI for analysts and prosecutors to focus on extremism.
It’s also been met with criticism about potential encroachment on civil liberties, coming from a chorus of people with concerns real and feigned. Far-right commentators have, for example, claimed that those charged in relation to breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6 are victims of politically motivated prosecutions.
At Tuesday’s Judiciary Committee hearing, meant to cover domestic terrorist threats, panel chairman Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) played video of the insurrection, saying that it both showed how heightened the threat was while also demonstrating that, at best, the Republican Party looks the other way.
“They are normalizing the use of violence to achieve political goals,” he said.
100% great move. Credit where it’s due. Institutionalize the focus on domestic terrorism and make it permanent. If the next GQP president wants to try to slow down or end those investigations the push back will be stronger plus he’ll have to explain why he wants to cut funding for fighting terrorism.
Dick Durbin(D-IL) tells it like it is. The whole truth. Let’s see freaking SCOTUS say that this is not necessary!
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the panel’s top Republican, showed video of the 2020 violence as a counter to the Jan. 6 footage that Durbin showed.
“Those anti-police riots (in 2020) rocked our nation for seven full months,” Grassley said."
Chuck Grassley (Wouldn’t be very smart - IA) is not fit to shine Dick Durbin’s shoes.
“ as well as those who ascribe to extremist anti-government and anti-authority ideologies”
Hope they start by dragging Bannon off to prison
Good point. How can DOJ ensure that the next Republican president does not disappear this office as Trump disappeared the the CDC virus monitoring staff in China prior to Covid? We need some stability and a way to protect various offices from (typically) Republican interference. When the facts that we are allowed to know are determined by a politician’s next campaign, we are the ones who pay the price. This has to stop.
I hope that the DOJ/FBI/DHS all establish domestic terrorism offices. There need to be more judges appointed to handle the rapidly growing caseload. Terrorism has to be aggressively prosecuted wherever it appears. Stochastic terrorism must be neutralized, as well. I’m looking at you, Facebook, et al.
Before or after they delouse him?