Justice Dept. creating unit focused on domestic terrorism

The U.S. criminal code defines domestic terrorism as violence intended to coerce or ... 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events ... ABCNewsVideoLiveShowsCoronavirusJan.6RiotInterestSuccessfullyAddedWe'llnotifyyouherewithnewsaboutTurnondesktopnotificationsforbreakingstoriesaboutinterest?OffOn1:52AttorneygeneralunveilsBiden’sstrategytocounterdomesticterrorismAttorneyGeneralMerrickGarlandsaidthenumberofdomesticterrorisminvestigationshas"increasedsignificantly"overthepastyear.TheAssociatedPressWASHINGTON--TheJusticeDepartmentisestablishingaspecializedunitfocusedondomesticterrorism,thedepartment'stopnationalsecurityofficialtoldlawmakersTuesdayashedescribedan“elevated”threatfromviolentextremistsintheUnitedStates.AssistantAttorneyGeneralMatthewOlsen,testifyingjustdaysafterthenationobservedtheone-yearanniversaryoftheinsurrectionattheU.S.Capitol,saidthenumberofFBIinvestigationsintosuspecteddomesticviolentextremistshasmorethandoubledsincethespringof2020.“Wehaveseenagrowingthreatfromthosewhoaremotivatedbyracialanimus,aswellasthosewhoascribetoextremistanti-governmentandanti-authorityideologies,”Olsensaid.Theformulationofanewunitunderscorestheextenttowhichdomesticviolentextremism,whichforyearsaftertheSept.11attackswasovershadowedbythethreatofinternationalterrorism,hasattractedurgentattentioninsidethefederalgovernmentandattheWhiteHouse.Buttheissueremainspoliticallyfreightedanddivisive,inpartbecausetheabsenceofafederaldomesticterrorismstatutehascreatedambiguitiesastopreciselywhatsortofviolencemeetsthatdefinition.TheU.S.criminalcodedefinesdomesticterrorismasviolenceintendedtocoerceorintimidateacivilianpopulationandtoinfluencegovernmentpolicy,butthereisnostandalonedomesticterrorismcharge,meaningprosecutorshavetorelyonotherstatutes.Olsen'sassessmentaboutgrowingdomesticthreatstrackedwithawarninglastMarchfromFBIDirectorChristopherWray,whotestifiedthatthethreatwas“metastasizing.”JillSanborn,theexecutiveassistantdirectorinchargeoftheFBI'snationalsecuritybranchwhotestifiedalongsideOlsen,saidTuesdaythegreatestthreatcomesfromloneextremistsorsmallcellswhoradicalizeonlineandlooktocarryoutviolenceatso-called“softtargets.”“Thisincludesbothhomegrownviolentextremistsinspiredprimarilybyforeignterroristorganizationsaswellasdomesticviolentextremism,”Sanbornsaid.Thedepartment'sNationalSecurityDivision,whichOlsenleads,hasacounterterrorismsection.ButOlsentoldtheSenateJudiciaryCommitteethathehasdecidedtocreateaspecializeddomesticterrorismunit“toaugmentourexistingapproach"andto“ensurethatthesecasesareproperlyhandledandeffectivelycoordinated”acrossthecountry.ThepartisandivisionsaroundthedomesticterrorismterminologywereevidentduringTuesday'shearing.Sen.RichardDurbinofIllinois,theDemocraticchairmanofthecommittee,playedvideooftheJan.6riotattheoutsetofthehearingandurgedeveryoneonthecommitteeto“usethishearingtoexplicitlycondemntheuseorthreatofviolencetoadvancepoliticalgoals.”“It'sasimplerequest,butsadlyanecessaryone,"Durbinadded."Thiscommitteeshouldspeakwithaunifiedvoiceinsayingviolenceisunacceptable.”SeveralRepublicansenatorssoughttoshiftfocusawayfromJan.6andassertedthattheinsurrectionhadtakenawayattentionfromthe2020riotingthateruptedinAmericancitiesandgrewoutofracialjusticeprotests.Sen.TedCruz,aTexasRepublican,castigatedthelawenforcementwitnessesforwhathesaidwere“wildlydisparatestandards”inthedepartment'spursuitofsuspectsinthe2020riotingandintheJan.6insurrection.Sen.ChuckGrassleyofIowa,thepanel'stopRepublican,showedvideoofthe2020violenceasacountertotheJan.6footagethatDurbinshowed.“Thoseanti-policeriotsrockedournationforsevenfullmonths,”Grassleysaid.TheFBIandJusticeDepartmentsaytheytreatdomesticextremistviolencethesameregardlessofideology.SanbornsaidtheFBIhasopenedmorethan800investigationstiedtothe2020riotingandarrestedmorethan250people.AttorneyGeneralMerrickGarlandsaidlastweekthattheJusticeDepartmenthadarrestedandchargedmorethan725peoplefortheirallegedrolesintheJan.6attack.————FollowEricTuckeronTwitterathttp://www.twitter.com/etuckerAPComments(0)SharetoFacebookSharetoTwitterEmailthisarticleTopStoriesPrinceAndrewreturnsmilitarytitles,royalpatronagestoQueenElizabethJan13,1:08PMNovakDjokovic'sAustralianvisacanceledagain1houragoThousandsoffederalinmatestobereleasedunder2018lawJan13,10:22AMHundredsofBlackwomenwillget$850amonth.Willitimpactracialwealthgap?Jan12,6:04AMDebunkingtheideavirusesalwaysevolvetobecomelessvirulentJan13,5:09AMABCNewsLive24/7coverageofbreakingnewsandliveevents