U.S. Eyes Ways To Toughen Fight Against Domestic Extremists

Reuters ^ | 2/4/16 | Julia Harte, Julia Edwards, Andy Sullivan

[Gandalf the Mauve]

The U.S. Justice Department is considering legal changes to combat what it sees as a rising threat from domestic anti-government extremists, senior officials told Reuters, even as it steps up efforts to stop Islamic State-inspired attacks at home.

Extremist groups motivated by a range of U.S.-born philosophies present a "clear and present danger," John Carlin, the Justice Department's chief of national security, told Reuters in an interview. "Based on recent reports and the cases we are seeing, it seems like we're in a heightened environment."

Over the past year, the Justice Department has brought charges against domestic extremist suspects accused of attempting to bomb U.S. military bases, kill police officers and fire bomb a school and other buildings in a predominantly Muslim town in New York state.

But federal prosecutors tackling domestic extremists still lack an important legal tool they have used extensively in dozens of prosecutions against Islamic State-inspired suspects: a law that prohibits supporting designated terrorist groups.

Carlin and other Justice Department officials declined to say if they would ask Congress for a comparable domestic extremist statute, or comment on what other changes they might pursue to toughen the fight against anti-government extremists...

A Reuters analysis of more than 100 federal cases has found that defendants accused of plotting attacks in the name of Islamic State collectively faced more severe charges than militia members, "sovereign citizens" and other anti-government extremists who have been prosecuted for similar activity....

[IMR 4350]

The first time the left called for their political enemies, the right wing extremist, to be declared terrorist was after the OKC bombing in 1995.

The OKC bombing is what saved B Clinton’s presidency.

After the attempted car bombing in NYC in 2010 was the second time the left wanted their political enemies, the right wing extremist, to be labeled terrorist.

Obama’s presidency was going in the tank until the attempted bombing in NYC stopped the freefall.

The DoJ with the help of the SPLC came up with a report last year that the real threat to the country was from the right wing extremist.

What a coincidence the SPLC helped the Clinton WH come up with the same talking points against the right wing extremist BEFORE the OKC bombing and again helped the Obama WH come up with the same talking points against the right wing extremist BEFORE the attempted NYC bombing.

With the democrat party and Hillary both in freefall sounds to me like the plan is “Third times a charm”.

[bert]

the Islamists are noted but armed conservatives are the target