House Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on white nationalist-linked violence
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After a white nationalism-espousing terrorist killed 50 people in two Christchurch, New Zealand, mosques, the current American administration has largely clammed up, offering only rote sympathy to the victims and proposing, of course, absolutely nothing thatHouse Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on white nationalist-linked violence
After a white nationalism-espousing terrorist killed 50 people in two Christchurch, New Zealand, mosques, the current American administration has largely clammed up, offering only rote sympathy to the victims and proposing, of course, absolutely nothing that might prevent future far-right terrorist acts. The Senate, too, can find not much to say about the attack. That leaves the House, which conveniently is now under the control of a party that does not have to hedge its statements on violent white nationalism for fear of upsetting a conservative white nationalist base. Erin Banco and Sam Stein report that House Judiciary Committee Democrats will be reigniting a much-needed discussion of far-right extremism by holding the first hearing in years on the violent white nationalist movement. Though plans are still being finalized, the committee expects to bring in officials from within the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI for questioning on the rise of white nationalism in the U.S and the efforts the agencies are currently adopting to combat it. One lawmaker said the goal is to “have a hearing in early April.” For about a decade now Republicans (and Fox News) have met government attempts to combat far-right terrorism with furious outrage, claiming as usual that their views as conservatives are under federal attack by such efforts. In the earliest days of the Obama administration, the Department of Homeland Security issued a report warning of the elevated threat of right-wing terrorism—and was met with such universal Republican condemnation that it was forced to then apologize for issuing that warning, despite its obvious truth and despite far-right violence now far outpacing violent acts by other terrorist groups. Republicans have blocked and belittled further efforts to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute far-right extremists ever since, all under the same apparent belief that investigating violent far-right groups would infringe too conspicuously on their own base. That will likely continue, but House Democrats are not as likely to go along with the Republican efforts as they were 10 years and many terrorist attacks ago. Read more