(Chris Parker, Headline USA) The FBI has added some of America’s most patriotic symbols to its terror warning watchlist, solidly in line with the Biden administration’s increasingly expansive net on so-called domestic terrorism.
The Second Amendment, one of our nation’s highest laws, is now listed among the “Domestic Violent Terrorism Symbols” believed to be used by domestic extremist groups. The shorthand “2A” made the list as well.
But it wasn’t alone. The Betsy Ross Flag, the first iteration of the American flag (which hangs at the FBI headquarters) also made the list. It was also joined by the Gadsden Flag.
The list was revealed in a document leaked by an FBI whistleblower to Project Veritas. It claimed that the symbols are “used by Anti-Government or Anti-Authority Violent Extremists.” The terror watch already contained the Spartan helmet and the skull symbol made famous by the Punisher comic book character.
In addition to symbols deemed terroristic, like Revolutionary War imagery, the FBI’s document lists Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by police on Jan. 6, as a person that “Militia Violent Extremists” consider to be a martyr.
Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, demanded answers from FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“These symbols weren’t things like the Ku Klux Klan or the Nazi Party, which naturally would be symbols of that. Still, instead, they include rather astonishingly patriotic symbols of our nation and history,” he said.
Wray largely tried to dodge the question.
“Well, Senator, I’m not familiar with the particular document that you have behind you, and I’m not in the practice of trying to comment on documents I haven’t recognized,” he said.
“But I will tell you that when we put out intelligence products, including ones that reference symbols, which we do across a wide variety of contexts, we usually make great pains – take great pains to put caveats and warnings in the document that make clear that a symbol alone is not considered evidence of violent extremism.”
This isn’t the first time that the FBI has specifically targeted conservatives. Recent documents confirmed the FBI’s interference in the 2020 presidential elections. It was found that “the FBI falsely labeled intelligence that had been verified as credible against Hunter Biden as disinformation.”
That revelation also came from a whistleblower. CBS confirmed that individual was “highly credible.”
