A draft assessment from the Department of Homeland Security claims that white supremacy is the “most lethal threat” faced by the United States of America, and will remain the most lethal threat through the end of 2021, despite ongoing civil unrest and violence in the streets of many American cities, a Chinese virus that inspired the lockdown of much of the country, and increased saber rattling from the country’s largest geopolitical competitor, China.
Lawfare Blog editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes posted the draft statement to Twitter, writing that “the first version of the report, which is from 8/19/2020, states baldly that white supremacist actors are the biggest threat right now.”
The document claims that “lone offenders and small cells of individuals motivated by a diverse array” of “personal factors will pose the primary terrorist threat to the united States.”
“Among these groups, we assess that white supremacist extremists – who increasingly are working with likeminded persons abroad – will pose the most persistent and lethal threat,” the DHS document continues.
The first version of the report, which is from 8/19/2020, states baldly that white supremacist actors are the biggest threat right now. Here's the discussion in the executive summary up top: pic.twitter.com/m7NE9LMPC1
— Benjamin “18 U.S.C. § 114” Wittes (@benjaminwittes) September 4, 2020
The discussion of white supremacy in the body of the report reveals the DHS reiterates that they “judge that ideologically-motivated lone offenders and small groups will pose the greatest terrorist threat to the Homeland through 2021, with white supremacist extremists presenting the most lethal threat.”
“Among [domestic violence extremists], we judge that white supremacist extremists (WSEs) will remain the most persistent and lethal threat to the homeland through 2021,” the DHS adds. “WSEs almost certainly will continue to target racial and religious minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, politicians, and those they believe promote multi-culturalism and globalization at the expense of the WSEs’ identity.”
The DHS also claims that white supremacist extremists “have engaged in outreach and networking opportunities abroad with likeminded individuals to expand their violent extremist networks.”
Here is the full document.https://t.co/Uic4OVr2YD
— Benjamin “18 U.S.C. § 114” Wittes (@benjaminwittes) September 4, 2020
Reporting on the leak of these draft documents, far left cable network CNN claims “The threat assessment — which also warns of continued disinformation efforts by Russia — is especially notable as President Donald Trump has often employed race-baiting tactics in his quest for reelection and frequently downplayed the threat from white supremacists during his term in office.”
“The Trump administration has portrayed Antifa and anarchists as a top threat to the US, with the President tweeting this summer that the US will designate Antifa as a terrorist organization,” CNN adds.
Ironically, the country’s most notable white supremacist, Richard Spencer, has given up influencing Republican politics and instead endorsed Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden and a “straight Democratic ticket,” claiming Democrats are better at administrating government.
Black Lives Matter mobs have also complained that white supremacists are being given credit for their acts of violence and vandalism, with Black Lives Matter in Richmond, Virginia explicitly disavowing the city government’s claim that white supremacists infiltrated Black Lives Matter with the goal of starting a riot.
