The agency founded because of 9/11 shifts to face the threat of domestic terrorism

On a Saturday morning in August 2019, a 21-year-old White man with ear protectors, safety glasses and an AK-47-style rifle walked into a crowded Walmart in El Paso, Tex., his pockets bulging with ammunition. He had to driven hundreds of miles across the state, prosecutors say, because he wanted to kill Latinos.

Kevin McAleenan, the acting Homeland Security secretary, was at a Coast Guard picnic in Virginia that day, and soon the urgent messages began arriving. A sinking feeling of horror set in as the magnitude of the attack became clear. “It was devastating,” he said.

Twenty-three people were murdered in the worst attack on Hispanic Americans in modern U.S. history.

About 5,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees live in El Paso, and six lost family members that day. “To have an individual attack us, at one of the home bases of our agency and specifically going after Hispanic Americans who make up a majority of our employees in that area, was very personal for us, and it galvanized an effort that was already underway,” McAleenan said.

For years leading up to El Paso, the Department of Homeland Security — created to prevent another 9/11 — had been under growing pressure to do more to address domestic extremism. Within seven weeks of the El Paso massacre, McAleenan released a plan for “countering terrorism and targeted violence” that amounted to a road map for the department’s pivot from foreign threats to homegrown ones. It was the first time DHS had identified the extent of the danger posed by domestic violent extremists and white supremacists.

DOD Uses Witch-hunt for Extremists to Set the Stage for a Purge of Conservatives from the Military
Red State ^ | 02/05/2021 | Streiff
FR Posted on 2/5/2021, 3:01:18 PM by SeekAndFind

You could see this coming like you can see a thunderhead out on the Great Plains.

The order came from a meeting Austin held today with @thejointstaff @USNavy @usairforce @USArmy @USMC – “This is a leadership issue,” said Pentagon spox @johnfkirby63
— Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) February 3, 2021
The allegation, provided without a shred of empirical evidence that the US military is overrun by hate groups and extremists, has been made for weeks. Here’s a sampling from just the past month:

Politico. The military has a hate group problem. But it doesn’t know how bad it’s gotten.
WBUR (Boston NPR). Extremism In The Military And How To Root It Out

Defense One. How to Root Out Extremism in the U.S. Military
Military Times. The military knows it has a problem with domestic extremists, white supremacists
New York Times. Pentagon Accelerates Efforts to Root Out Far-Right Extremism in the Ranks

But the degree to which this narrative foretold future events became evident when the FBI was permitted to perform background checks, including reviews of social media, of the 20,000 or so National Guardsmen called up to defend Joe Biden’s Washington, DC, against some imagined threat (more Security Theater, like the predicted attacks on state capitols).

See U.S. Defense Officials Fear Insider Attack From National Guard Service Members Ahead of Inauguration.
This was an unconscionable affront to the US military. The assertion that National Guardsmen posed an insider threat to Joe Biden should have been met with guffaws and a refusal of any governor to go along with it. In September 1934, Adolf Hitler was inspecting a jaeger regiment commanded by Colonel Erwin Rommel.

The Nazi security apparatus insisted that politically reliable SS troops be positioned between Rommel’s regiment and Hitler. Rommel said that if that came to pass, his troops would not be there. It is a shame when our military commanders can’t muster the same courage.

As I noted in Steve Cohen Tries to Walk Back Smear That National Guardsmen Might Kill Biden but the Official Reaction Reveals a Larger Problem:

This all points to a deep corruption in the senior officer corps and hints at a deep-seated contempt for the rank-and-file Guardsmen by their own leadership. I can’t imagine something similar not existing in the Regular Army. No State Adjutant General has gone on record defending their troops against Cohen’s calumny.

No one in even the out-going Trump Defense leadership had anything to say. Only one governor has defended their own Guardsmen. Instead, we saw the FBI running checks on National Guardsmen with the objective of finding something, anything to justify the panic.

This is just part of the Antonio-Gramsci-esque Long March Through the Institutions that has finally conquered the US military.

Secretary of Defense Austin has already demonstrated that he has a total disregard for the safety of the military personnel and is completely subservient to Critical Race Theory and whatever other victim theology that is being peddled, see Opinion: Defense Secretary Austin Plays Politics Right out of the Gate.

What does this mean? From the New York Times.
All military personnel, including those in the National Guard, undergo extensive background investigations and physical examinations including assessments of tattoos.

Troops are continuously monitored for indications that they are involved in extremist activity and receive training to identify others around them who could be “insider threats.”
But critics say the military’s leadership has often failed to hold violators accountable consistently.

“Current regulations have penalties that are largely left up to commanders, often at the unit level,” Heidi Beirich, a co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told a House hearing last February. “There appears to be no process to track people expelled for ties to white supremacists’ groups.”

At the same time, there are many internal cultural issues within the military — from the recruitment process to training and beyond — that may take years to unravel.

The recently approved National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2021, which sets annual Pentagon policy and spending priorities, contained measures meant to help the department address the issue, including a new position in the Defense Department inspector general’s office: a deputy inspector general for diversity and inclusion and supremacist, extremism and criminal gang activity.

Congress also charged the inspector general with establishing a “mechanism to track and report” extremist or gang activity in the military.

The fact that the same morons who have decided that the OK sign is a white supremacist sign will be deciding what tattoos mean should give no one any comfort. That tracking military veterans to gauge their political reliability is casually bandied about is terrifying. A political commissar dedicated to rooting out troops with the wrong politics is not something native to North America.

Let’s not fool ourselves that they will be looking for actual gang members or KKK or BLM…oops, I didn’t say that…members in the ranks. They will be intrusively monitoring social media to see what you say and which Facebook posts you share. If you have a Rush 24/7 membership or a RedState VIP member or fly the Gadsden flag (see Leftwing Activist Journalists Claim the Gadsden Flag Is a Sign of Insurrection and Hate), your days in uniform are probably numbered.

In 2012, the Obama Pentagon discharged a Marine reservist who said unflattering things about Obama while not on active duty. In past years, no one in the Pentagon would have dreamed of monitoring a private Facebook site to review comments made by people who may never again serve on active duty (such as Individual reservists with no unit affiliation) to try to root out disrespect to The Lightbringer.

They aren’t going to touch people who are Antifa sympathizers or participants in BLM riots. They are going after one demographic and one political persuasion.
1. Target a respected institution
2. Kill & clean it
3. Wear it as a skin suit, while demanding respect
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 25, 2016

DHS issues nationwide terrorism alert ...”Trump supporters”
Military news ^ | Military news
FR Posted on 1/28/2021, 7:32:59 AM by mikelets456

The Department of Homeland Security issued a nationwide terrorism alert on Wednesday warning the public of *domestic violent extremists* who could incite or conduct violent acts.

In an official terrorism advisory directed by Acting DHS Secretary David Pekoske that lasts until April 30, DHS warns of increased threats in the U.S. of *some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit
violence.*

The advisory came after Pekoske*s consultation with intelligence and law enforcement, though no signs of credible attack plots were found.

DHS described Domestic Violent Extremists (DVEs) as motivated by various issues including *anger over COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 election results, and police use of force,* and Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs) inspired by foreign terrorist groups. (Excerpt) Read more at americanmilitarynews.com ...

Consultations w/ tax-paid intelligence and tax-paid L/E officials, discussed incitement to commit violence (though NO credible plots were found). This produced an
official government “terrorism advisory” by tax-paid Acting DHS Secy David Pekoske, which warns of:
<><> (A) increased threats
<><> (B) by *ideologically-motivated violent extremists
<><> (C) with objections to the exercise of governmental authority,
<><> (D) the presidential transition,
<><> (E) including perceived grievances fueled by false narratives,

DHS described Domestic Violent Extremists (DVEs) as motivated by various issues including:
<><> anger over COVID-19 restrictions (including wearing masks),
<><> the 2020 election results,
<><> police use of force,
<><> as well as Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs) inspired by foreign terrorist groups.

THE STENCH OF CHICAGO SEWERS AND WHO CRAWLED OUT OF IT IS STRONG HERE:

===================READ ON =====================

CIRCA 2009---OBAMA'S DHS Secy Napolitano stands by controversial report naming "extremists"
By Eli Lake and Audrey Hudson - The Washington Times Thursday, April 16, 2009

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that she was briefed before the release of a controversial intelligence assessment and that she stands by the report, which lists returning veterans among terrorist risks to the U.S. But the top House Democrat with oversight of the Department of Homeland Security said in a letter to Ms. Napolitano that he was “dumbfounded” that such a report would be issued.

“This report appears to raise significant issues involving the privacy and civil liberties of many Americans - including war veterans,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, in his letter sent Tuesday night.

The letter was representative of a public furor over the nine-page document since its existence was reported in The Washington Times on Tuesday. In her statement Wednesday, Ms. Napolitano defended the report, which says “rightwing extremism” may include groups opposed to abortion and immigration, as merely one among several threat assessments. But she agreed to meet with the head of the American Legion, who had expressed anger over the report, when she returns to Washington next week from a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The document on right-wing extremism sent last week by this department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis is one in an ongoing series of assessments to provide situational awareness to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies on the phenomenon and trends of violent radicalization in the United States,” Ms. Napolitano said in her statement. “I was briefed on the general topic, which is one that struck a nerve as someone personally involved in the Timothy McVeigh prosecution,” Ms. Napolitano said. • Click here to download a PDF of the report. Ms. Napolitano insisted that the department was not planning on engaging in any form of ideological profiling. “Let me be very clear: We monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States. We don’t have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence,” Ms. Napolitano said.

“We are on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not - nor will we ever - monitor ideology or political beliefs. We take seriously our responsibility to protect the civil rights and liberties of the American people, including subjecting our activities to rigorous oversight from numerous internal and external sources.”

The Times reported Tuesday that the department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) issued April 7 the nine-page document titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.” Outcry from veterans groups, Republican lawmakers and conservative activists followed, but the reaction spread Wednesday to Democratic lawmakers and liberal-leaning groups.

In his letter to Ms. Napolitano, Mr. Thompson demanded that Homeland Security officials explain how and why they wrote the report and whether it poses any threat to civil liberties. “As I am certain you agree, freedom of association and freedom of speech are guaranteed to all Americans - whether a person’s beliefs, whatever their political orientation, are ‘extremist’ or not,” Mr. Thompson said. Mr. Thompson said the report “blurred the line,” and that he is “disappointed and surprised that the department would allow this report to be disseminated” to law enforcement officials nationwide.

Homeland Security officials have declined to say who wrote report, except that it was a career official and not a political appointee. Only three employees are listed in the Federal Yellow Book as working for the I&A office - acting Undersecretary Roger Mackin and two executive assistants.

Mr. Thompson’s letter said, “I am particularly struck by the report’s conclusion which states that I&A ‘will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months to ascertain with greater regional specificity the rise in right-wing extremist activity in the United States with a particular emphasis on the political, economic, and social factors that drive right-wing extremist radicalization.’ ” He demanded to know what types of activities the Homeland Security Department had planned for “the next several months.”

“Rightwing extremism,” the report said in a footnote on Page 2, goes beyond religious and racial hate groups and extends to “those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely.” “It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration,” said the report, which also listed gun owners and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as potential risks.

The assessment is not the first Homeland Security product to examine threats based on political extremism. In January, the department sent law enforcement officials an assessment of cyberterrorism threats from such left-leaning sources as environmental, animal rights and anarchist groups. Mike German, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union and a former FBI agent, said his organization was concerned about law enforcement agencies’ focus on radicalization, regardless of the specific ideology. “Certainly, the right-wing report is focused far too much on rhetoric and things people say and things people think rather than on criminal activity and the people involved in criminal activity,” he said. “There is plenty of crime out there for federal, state and local law enforcement to worry about. They don’t need to invent threats that they have no factual basis for supporting.”

The American Legion on Tuesday said the latest report unfairly stereotypes veterans. “I am aware of the letter from American Legion National Commander [David K.] Rehbein, and my staff has already contacted him to set up a meeting next week once I return from travel. I will tell him face-to-face that we honor veterans at DHS and employ thousands across the department, up to and including the Deputy Secretary,” Ms. Napolitano said.

“As the department responsible for protecting the homeland, DHS will continue to work with its state and local partners to prevent and protect against the potential threat to the United States associated with any rise in violent extremist activity,” Ms. Napolitano said.

Asked about the report at Wednesday’s White House briefing, press secretary Robert Gibbs said he has not spoken with President Obama specifically about it. “Without getting into the report, I think the president works hard every day to make sure that all Americans are safe and secure,” Mr. Gibbs said.

“And I would say that, as it relates to some aspect of the report, that the president believes those who serve our country represent the very best of it,” Mr. Gibbs said.

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said Wednesday that the department owes veterans an apology. “To characterize men and women returning home after defending our country as potential terrorists is offensive and unacceptable,” he said. “Everyone agrees that the department should be focused on protecting America, but using such broad-based generalizations about the American people is simply outrageous.”

Rep. Steve Buyer of Indiana, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, called it “inconceivable” that the Obama administration would categorize veterans as a potential threat. “This kind of mischaracterization can lead to discrimination against veterans in our society, especially in the job market,” Mr. Buyer said. “Vietnam veterans were subjected to this unfair treatment, and I call upon President Obama and members of Congress to refute any similar stereotyping of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.” • Jon Ward contributed to this report. Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC.

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