Heinrich Calls On FBI And Intelligence Community To Conduct Immediate Interagency Review Of The Growth of Domestic Terrorism In The United States

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced a resolution expressing the Sense of the Senate on the imminent and pervasive threat of domestic terrorism, violent white supremacists, neo-Nazis, anti-government militias, and dangerous, fringe conspiracy theories to the democratic institutions and values of the United States.

The resolution introduced today by Senator Heinrich, along with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Democrats, follows the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol in which a group of domestic terrorists and insurrectionists launched a planned, coordinated, and deadly effort intended to overturn the results of a free and fair democratic election. The attack was intended to harm law enforcement officers, fellow citizens, Members of Congress and directly resulted in the death of U.S. Capitol police officer Brian D. Sicknick.

The resolution also calls on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the intelligence community to immediately review the threat posed by domestic terrorist groups, including an examination of the growth of such groups within the United States and the use of social media and other forms of communication to recruit new members to organize and plan acts of violence.

Senator Heinrich is calling for a review of the targeting and recruitment of current and former members of the United States military and law enforcement for domestic terrorist attacks, the financing of domestic terrorist groups, and the coordination of such groups with foreign actors, including foreign military and intelligence services. The resolution calls for an assessment of the resources and training available to law enforcement agencies to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of such groups.

Nearly a month before the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, Senator Heinrich led a letter to the FBI and the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis requesting a written assessment to Congress on the threat posed by QAnon, in the United States and abroad. Senator Heinrich secured a commitment from Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines during her confirmation hearing that she would work with the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis to provide a public written assessment of the threat of QAnon to the United States.

Signers include: Majority Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Heinrich (D-N.M.), Leahy (D-Vt.), Wyden (D-Ore.), Durbin (D-Ill.), Reed (D-R.I.), Brown (D-Ohio), Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Baldwin (D-Wis.), Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Senator Booker (D-N.J.).

See the full text of the resolution below. A PDF of the resolution is available HERE.

Title: Expressing the sense of the Senate on the imminent and pervasive threat of domestic terrorism, violent white supremacists, neo-Nazis, anti-government militias, and dangerous, fringe conspiracy theories to the democratic institutions and values of the United States.

Whereas, on January 6, 2021, a group of domestic terrorists, including violent white supremacists, neo-Nazis, anti-government militia members, and supporters of dangerous, fringe conspiracy theories seeking to commit violence, launched a planned, coordinated, and deadly terrorist attack on the United States Capitol with the intent to overturn the results of a free and fair democratic election and to harm law enforcement officers, fellow citizens, and Members of Congress;

Whereas these domestic terrorists were directly responsible for the death of United States Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick;

Whereas domestic terrorists, including violent white supremacists, neo-Nazis, anti-government militia members, and supporters of dangerous, fringe conspiracy theories, including QAnon, are an immediate and growing terrorist threat to the safety of the people of the United States and our democratic form of government as established by the Constitution of the United States;

Whereas foreign adversaries, including Russian government-supported organizations, have sought to amplify the spread of violent extremist ideology in the United States in an effort to destabilize the democratic institutions of the United States and sow discord amongst the people;

Whereas domestic terrorists and the spread of dangerous, fringe conspiracy theories like QAnon represent a unique insider threat to national security institutions and personnel, potentially compromising intelligence and security capabilities; and

Whereas, in September 2020, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray testified before Congress that individuals who adhere to white supremacist ideologies represent the majority of racially motivated violent extremists in the United States, who “over recent years have been responsible for the most lethal activity in the U.S.” and represent “a national threat priority”: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that—

(1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States intelligence community should immediately begin an interagency review of the domestic terrorist threat posed by domestic terrorist groups, including violent white supremacists, neo-Nazis, anti-government militia members, and supporters of dangerous, fringe conspiracy theories; and

(2) such interagency review shall include an examination of—

(A) the leadership, membership, and growth of such groups within the United States;

(B) the use of social media and other forms of communication to recruit new members to such groups, organize and plan acts of violence, and encourage others to engage in acts of violence;

(C) the targeting and recruitment of current and former members of the United States military and law enforcement by such groups;

(D) the sources of financing and economic activity used by such groups to organize or commit criminal activity and violence;

(E) the coordination of such groups with foreign actors, including foreign military and intelligence services; and

(F) the resources and training available to law enforcement agencies to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of such groups.