Dennis Angerer/Getty
FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress (in July)…that the FBI has recorded about 100 domestic terrorism arrests in the last nine months. “A majority of the domestic terrorism cases we’ve investigated are motivated by some version of what you might call white supremacist violence,” he told the panel…
Wray’s testimony followed a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in May, where FBI counterterrorism chief Michael McGarrity testified that the bureau was investigating 850 potential domestic terrorism cases. McGarrity said that nearly half of the cases involved racially motivated extremists, most of whom were white supremacists…
“…If the number of people arrested this calendar year when it comes to this extremist conduct, is about equal between those who were inspired by foreign actors, ISIS, al-Qaida, whatever it might be, and those who were inspired by white supremacy or at least some version of race,” (Senator Dick) Durbin said, before asking Wray if he considered them equal threats.
Wray said he did not, explaining that he believes homegrown violent terrorism was the single biggest threat to the country.
There goes Wray’s chance to play golf at one of Trump’s country clubs!
“The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in May warned that white supremacist groups had already carried out more attacks than any other domestic extremist group over the past 16 years and were likely to carry out more attacks over the next year, according to an intelligence bulletin obtained by Foreign Policy.” https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/08/14/fbi-and-dhs-warned-of-growing-threat-from-white-supremacists-months-ago/
“White Supremacist Extremism Poses Persistent Threat of Lethal Violence,” was prepared by the FBI and DHS. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3924852-White-Supremacist-Extremism-JIB.html
8 AM MDT, tomorrow morning, 2nd
‘Fascism At Our Door’: Outrage Grows After Trump Refuses To Denounce White Supremacy” (Forbes) https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2020/09/30/facism-at-our-door-outrage-grows-after-trump-refuses-to-denounce-white-supremacy/#32d22ade7c32
Asked whether he condemned white supremacists and military groups, Mr. Trump demurred and then said, “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by! But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left.”Proud Boys — stand back and stand by.” “But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s gotta do something about antifa and the left.”
Almost immediately, supporters of the right-wing, all-male extremist hate group—listed as an “extremist group with ties to white nationalism” by the FBI—were praising the president’s comments on social media networks such as Telegram and Parler.
Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs wrote how Trump’s “stand by” remark was the president “basically said to go f**k them up. This makes me so happy.”
“President Trump told the proud boys to stand by because someone needs to deal with ANTIFA…well sir! we’re ready,” Biggs added on Parler. (Newsweek) https://www.newsweek.com/proud-boys-stand-trump-debate-1535240 [see links]
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said the call to “stand by” was “very clear he wants them to knock it off.” (NYT) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/us/trump-proud-boys-biden.html
According to Merriam-Webster “stand back” means to “take a few steps backwards” but “stand by” means “to be or to get ready to act.” https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/518898-merriam-webster-shares-definitions-of-stand-back-and-stand-by-after-trump
The Trump campaign later tweeted: “President Trump has repeatedly condemned white supremacists. What a ridiculous question from Chris Wallace.!”
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjJMYWqXcAEdqyl?format=jpg
(CBS News) “President Trump attempts to clarify his “stand back and stand by” statement” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYzoqcuVnVA “President Trump may have emboldened the Proud Boys with his debate comments. [But] The president is now saying he doesn’t know “who” the Proud Boys are. Jeff Pegues speaks with a former member of the group.”
(Fox News) White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany: Trump has ‘condemned’ white supremacy, but ‘shameful’ media won’t cover it https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mcenany-trump-white-supremacy-condemned-media ‘His record on this is unmistakable and it is shameful the media refuses to cover it,’ McEnany said
(Mediaite) “Kayleigh McEnany Refuses to Denounce White Supremacy When Pressed Repeatedly By Fox News Reporter” https://www.mediaite.com/tv/kayleigh-mcenany-refuses-to-denounce-white-supremacy-when-pressed-repeatedly-by-fox-news-reporter/
Also: “Kayleigh McEnany Goes On Wild Rant Blasting Media’s ‘Absolute Turning of a Blind Eye to Antifa’ https://www.mediaite.com/tv/kayleigh-mcenany-goes-on-wild-rant-blasting-medias-absolute-turning-of-a-blind-eye-to-antifa/
The FBI has thwarted a plot by a Michigan militia group to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — and overthrow the state government. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/10/08/feds-thwart-militia-plot-kidnap-michigan-gov-gretchen-whitmer/5922301002/ See also FBI affidavit https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/10/08/fbi-affidavit-conspirators-kidnap-gov-remote-wisconsin-location/5923989002/
The affidavit was filed hours after a team of FBI agents raided a Hartland Township home Wednesday and comes amid an ongoing investigation into the death of a Metro Detroit man killed during a shootout with FBI agents. https://www.detroitnews.com/in-depth/news/local/oakland-county/2020/10/07/ruby-ridge-madison-heights-fbi-shootout-eric-allport-boogaloo/3629352001/
The right-wing militant group was reportedly emboldened by President Trump embracing violent far-right groups who oppose coronavirus lockdowns and tweeting “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” in April.
Whitmer, a Democrat, implemented a wide range of shutdown methods when the coronavirus pandemic first began, as Detroit, Michigan quickly became a hotspot for the virus. The state then saw drive-by protests and armed right-wing protesters occupy the state capitol building over the lockdowns.
“A Pro-Trump Militant Group Has Recruited Thousands of Police, Soldiers, and Veterans : An Atlantic investigation reveals who they are and what they might do on Election Day.” https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/11/right-wing-militias-civil-war/616473/
“What’s The Connection Between Civilian Militias And The Police?” https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/09/01/right-wing-militias-and-police
“America Has a Militia Problem : And it goes deeper than you think.” https://thetriad.thebulwark.com/p/america-has-a-militia-problem
“A Schema of Right-Wing Extremism in the United States” (International Centre for Counter-Terrorism) https://icct.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ASchemaofRWEXSamJackson.pdf
This article argues that there are three primary categories of right-wing extremism in the United States: racist extremism, nativist extremism, and anti-government extremism. While there are substantial overlaps between these categories, treating them as analytically distinct can help analysts, researchers, and policymakers to recognize a wider variety of right-wing extremist activity in the country.
“The arrest of 13 men in a plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan and “instigate a civil war” placed a fresh spotlight on the growth of armed, right-wing extremist “militias” under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/10/10/world/michigan-us-rightwing-militias/
“Armed Militias Are Taking Trump’s Civil War Tweets Seriously” https://www.lawfareblog.com/armed-militias-are-taking-trumps-civil-war-tweets-seriously
“Paramilitaries? Terrorists? What should militia groups be called?” https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/10/10/whitmer-michigan-militias-terrorists/5935823002/
The Thin Blue Line Between Violent, Pro-Trump Militias and Police https://theintercept.com/2020/08/28/kyle-rittenhouse-violent-pro-trump-militias-police/
FOX 11 Investigates: Small-town police stock up on military gear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy4qpYd7FO0
See also “Trump’s Praetorian Guard” https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/10/22/trump-law-order-praetorian-guard/
“Michigan Domestic Terror Plot Sends Shockwaves Through Militia World : The news raced through the encrypted chats of leaders in the far-right militia movement: The Feds got Barry Croft.” https://www.npr.org/2020/10/09/922319136/michigan-domestic-terror-plot-sends-shockwaves-through-militia-world
In a New York Times op-ed about the Michigan case, Mary McCord, a former head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, wrote that federal and state laws, upheld in court, exist to address the paramilitary threat but are rarely enforced.
“All these laws point to a single conclusion: There is no right in any state for groups of individuals to arm themselves and organize either to oppose or augment the government,” McCord wrote. “Now, more than ever, state and local officials must enforce these statutes.” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/opinion/militias-gretchen-whitmer.html
Michigan law enforcement is on high alert after the FBI revealed an alleged plot by extremist groups to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also involved a “plan to target and kill police.”
“We’re cautious. We’re absolutely more careful,” said First Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police. “This is one of the tactics these anti-government, domestic terrorism groups use. Law enforcement is the face of the government. If you’re mad at the government, you’re mad at the police.” https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2020/10/12/extremist-groups-plot-kidnap-governor-included-plan-kill-police/5961147002/
‘Just cap her’: Texts and video reveal details of the alleged domestic terror plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer (CNN) https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/18/us/whitmer-kidnap-plot/index.html
Trump campaign says Whitmer ‘encouraging assassination attempts’ against president with discreet TV message : Digits ‘8645’ were displayed in the background during an appearance on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ Sunday (Fox News) https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-whitmer-assassination-attempt-nbc-meet-the-press-interview
Lara Trump defends president’s rhetoric after ‘lock her up’ chants about Whitmer at rally: ‘He was having fun’ https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/521585-lara-trump-defends-presidents-rhetoric-at-rally-after-lock-her-up
On September 17, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House of Representatives that the agency was conducting “a good bit north of 1,000 [investigations of far-right violence] this year.” This was “higher” than normal, he said, explaining that the threat posed by right-wing militias was “commensurate with ISIS.” https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/house-homeland-security-hearing-transcript-september-17-fbi-director-testifies
The next day, Trump threatened to fire Wray for these comments, saying, “I did not like his answers yesterday,” and “Antifa is bad, really bad.” https://nypost.com/2020/09/18/trump-bothered-by-fbi-directors-testimony-on-antifa-and-china/
Why the FBI is planning for possible Election Day violence (video) https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/10/19/armed-groups-voter-intimidation-us-election-2020-avlon-reality-check-newday-vpx.cnn
‘It is serious and intense’: white supremacist domestic terror threat looms large in US https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/19/white-supremacist-domestic-terror-threat-looms-large-in-us
80% of the FBI’s anti-terrorism resources are used to fight international terrorism, 20% domestic.
The bureau’s own figures compiled for 2008 to 2018 indicate that the balance of threat is the exact reverse – some 73% of all extremist murders in the US in that period were by far-right terrorists, only 23% by Islamist terrorists. https://www.courthousenews.com/fbi-officials-grilled-on-response-to-white-supremacist-threats/
Meanwhile there is increasing evidence of white supremacist and anti-government groups developing “active links” with law enforcement officials. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/hidden-plain-sight-racism-white-supremacy-and-far-right-militancy-law#footnote4_1nmcn1m
An insight into the world that is being created by this heady combination of a supportive president and fraternizing local police amid the turmoil of the pandemic and a fast-approaching volatile election is afforded by a new podcast from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Baseless takes listeners inside the leadership of the Base, a domestic terror group dedicated to destroying US democracy and sparking a race war that they believe and hope will transform America into a white ethno-state. https://soundslikehate.org/season-one/baseless/#top