Morning Briefing: U.S. House Committee Publishes Report On Extremist Groups and Recruitment Of Veterans
Morning Briefing: U.S. House Committee Publishes Report On Extremist Groups and Recruitment Of Veterans
The U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs released a majority staff report: "Report On Domestic Violent Extremist Groups And The Recruitment Of Veterans.”
Morning Briefing: The U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs on Friday released a majority staff report: "Report On Domestic Violent Extremist Groups And The Recruitment Of Veterans.” The report’s key findings include:
Domestic violent extremist groups “target veterans for their combat experience, weapons training, and leadership/operational skills.”
Veterans provide domestic violent extremist groups with an “air of credibility, aids in further recruitment, and has a force-multiplier effort.”
The facts that contribute to some veterans joining domestic violent extremist groups include “appeals to patriotism, social isolation, a search for community, difficulties adjusting to civilian life, and online disinformation.”
The U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack is “focusing on specific militant groups” including the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and First Amendment Praetorian. The Committee’s “Blue Team” is focused on “understanding the threats leading up to attack,” and at least 80 officials from law enforcement and federal agencies have testified as part of the “most extensive review yet of security failures that led to the US Capitol breach.” The Committee on Monday will vote on a report recommending “Peter Navarro and Daniel Scavino, Jr. for criminal contempt of Congress and refer them for prosecution.”
Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, exchanged several text messages with Mark Meadows, former President Donald Trump's chief of staff, and these text messages reportedly included several false claims about the 2020 election, referenced “conspiracy theories pushed by QAnon,” and proclaimed “Jesus Christ’s otherworldly role in delivering the election to Trump.” It was also revealed the Thomas sent an email to an aide U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) in which she wrote she would not associated with Republican Study Committee unless the members of the committee were “out in the streets.”
There has reportedly been some debate among the members of the Select Committee regarding whether or not to focus on the Thomases, who are connect to “deep networks of support across the conservative movement and Washington,” however, there now appears that members of the Select Committee are “weighing whether to demand” that Thomas “cooperate with the inquiry.”
Republican U.S. Senators “childish political theater” and verbal attacks on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jacksonhas “helped fuel online discussion, some of it violent, linking Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson to concerns about pedophilia,” and President Joe Biden’s reference to the “new world order” has reignited online conspiracy theorists “due to the proliferation of fringe narratives on social media that cast Ukraine as a pawn in a nefarious scheme by a cabal of global elites, the conspiracy has gained new lifeblood.”
Must Reads
Jeremy Schwartz reports how a Texas “school district embarked on one of the largest book removals in the country, pulling about 130 titles from library shelves for review. Nearly three-quarters of the removed books featured LGBTQ characters or themes.” [ProPublica]
Daniel Byman writes “publicizing attacks and otherwise exploiting social media is the new normal for terrorism,” however, while companies and governments are responding to the evolving threats, “white supremacists and other radicals can still use social media to whip up hatred and advance their cause.” [Foreign Policy]
Karim Zidan reports that there are “countless examples of the far right taking advantage of combat sports spaces in order to radicalize and unite disenfranchised youth.” [SB Nation]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links provides a round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Research Desk that highlights research and analysis from academia of the Radical Right; Field Notes provides research and analysis the strategies and tactics of the Radical Right.
