(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) Using partisan hyperbole, scare tactics and manufactured angst from the J6 protests as an excuse to push for more authoritarian leftist control, the Biden administration has created a so-called domestic terrorism unit to target potential conservative political dissidents, among other lawbreakers.
The Justice Department unveiled its new enforcement arm this week, claiming it was formed in response to “an elevated threat from domestic violent extremists — that is, individuals in the United States who seek to commit violent criminal acts in furtherance of domestic social or political goals,” Matthew G. Olsen, assistant attorney general for national security, told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“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.
And in case anyone thought the “extremist anti-government and anti-authority” terrorists to be targeted were the rioters, arsonists, looters and violent offenders who stormed federal buildings, assaulted police and destroyed millions of dollars worth of property during the 2020 riots and mayhem spree, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., set the record straight.
Durbin started the hearing — conveniently named ‘The Domestic Terrorism Threat One Year After January 6’ — by playing selectively edited video footage of fringe J6 protestors storming the U.S. Capitol, ignoring the hours of peaceful rallies that preceded the event.
“They are normalizing the use of violence to achieve political goals,” said Durbin, who implored his fellow committee members to “use this hearing to explicitly condemn the use or threat of violence to advance political goals.”
“It’s a simple request, but sadly a necessary one,” Durbin added. “This committee should speak with a unified voice in saying violence is unacceptable.”
Durbin even acknowledged, in passing, that “far-left” rioters got out of hand in Portland, then quickly pivoted back to attacking pro-freedom advocates.
Republican committee members didn’t let Durbin get away with the dodge, noting what Sen. Ted Cruz called the “wildly disparate standards” the Justice Department used in pursuing participants of the 2020 multi-month riots and the single-day J6 event.
While trying to deflect that criticism, Jill Sanborn, executive assistant director in charge of the FBI‘s national security branch, didn’t do herself any favors.
According to the FBI’s own numbers, 800 investigations have been opened and 250 people arrested for the riots that spanned a whole year. By comparison, the Justice Department has arrested and charged more the 725 people for their alleged roles in the four-hour J6 event.
With that as background, partnered with the DOJ’s targeting parents concerned about their kids’ education as criminals, there’s little doubt where the new domestic terrorism squad will focus its time and resources.
