After Charlottesville Attack, Baldwin and Twenty-Three Senators Press DHS on Trump Administration’s De-emphasis of Domestic Terrorism Efforts
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the wake of the deadly attack stemming from a far-right demonstration in Charlottesville, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and a group of 23 other Senators are pressing the Department of Homeland Security on questions arising from the Trump Administration’s apparent de-emphasis on protecting Americans from domestic terrorism, especially the Administration’s apparent decision to de-emphasize combating far-right extremism.
The Senators, led by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), questioned DHS Acting Secretary Elaine Duke about the department’s apparent shift in focus. In the letter, the Senators wrote: “The alleged attack that killed one innocent person and injured at least nineteen others in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend was seemingly not just an ugly display of racist violence, it was likely also an incident of domestic terrorism. Yet as our nation confronts the problem of growing racial, religious and even political hatred, we are concerned that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may not be adequately addressing one of the most significant threats of domestic terrorism.”
The senators noted that the Trump Administration revoked DHS funding to Life After Hate, an organization devoted to the rehabilitation of former neo-Nazis and other extremists. The Senators continued, “Several new grantees were added, but it now appears the focus on far-right extremism has been significantly reduced, if not completely eliminated.” The senators asked DHS to explain its decision, and to clarify reports that Trump transition team aide Katharine Gorka “may have played a role in the decisions about which groups would and would not receive [Countering Violent Extremism] grants.”
The Senators expressed concern that “troubling indications of this Administration’s priorities are not limited to these developments. President Trump kept silent after the August 5, 2017, bombing of the Dar Al-Farooq mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota. And the President faced two days of mounting pressure before finally denouncing far-right groups after the Charlottesville attack, while declaring the next day that ‘I think there’s blame on both sides.’ Far-right extremist groups, including neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, white supremacists, and other groups motivated by racial and ethnic hatred, present a significant risk of violence and domestic terrorism. It is critical that the Administration’s policies and priorities reflect this risk, and protect all Americans from violence and domestic terrorism.”
Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tom Carper (D-DE), Jon Tester (D-MT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) also signed the letter.
