Art Moore(WND NEWS CENTER) At a Senate hearing Tuesday titled “Domestic Terrorism Threat One Year After January 6,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen explained why he created a new unit focused on domestic terrorism.
“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 affirmed that the events that occurred on Jan. 6 are being investigated as acts of domestic terrorism.
See Olsen’s remarks:
At the hearing, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, pointed out that 75% of domestic terrorism cases during the Summer 2020 riots were attributed to “anarchist Extremism” which he noted is “the FBI’s term for Antifa.”
The hearing came after Attorney General Merrick Garland declared on the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot that the Justice Department has only begun to take action against “January 6 perpetrators.”
“The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last,” he said. “The Justice Department remains committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law — whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy.
“We will follow the facts wherever they lead,” he vowed.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a memo on Jan. 6 warning of an increasing in chatter on extremist online platforms, including threats against lawmakers, The Hill reported.
The memo said national security officials had no indication of a specific and credible plot.
“DHS and FBI have identified new content online that could inspire violence, particularly by lone offenders, and could be directed against political and other government officials, including members of Congress, state and local officials, and high-profile members of political parties,” including outside of Washington, John Cohen, DHS’ head of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, wrote in the memo.
Watch the entire hearing:
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