Darrell Issa Votes Against Monitoring of Domestic Extremists Infiltrating the Military
It is a really sad commentary on the condition of the United States when a political party votes to prevent actions aiming to monitor active duty military and members of Federal law enforcement agencies to ensure that they are not engaged with domestic hate groups.
San Diego Congressman Darrell Issa voted in lockstep with the Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday against an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sponsored by Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), that passed on a party-line vote.
It would “direct[s] the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of Defense to publish a report that analyzes and sets out strategies to combat White supremacist and neo-Nazi activity in the uniformed services and Federal law enforcement agencies not later than 180 days after enactment and every six months thereafter.”
The bill is currently stalled in the Senate, where the GOP leadership is blocking its passage.
(Two months ago Issa and his fellow Republicans also voted against Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022. **Birds of a Feather Flock Together)
The Republican response to the NDAA amendment is to deny the problem even exists:
“This amendment attempts to create a problem where none exists by requesting investigations into law enforcement and the armed services for alleged rampant white supremacists or white national sympathies,” said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) on the House floor.
In case Congressman Biggs’ name doesn’t ring a bell, the House Select Committee on January 6 identified him as one of the lawmakers who asked to be pardoned for “activities taken in connection with President Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election”. Biggs has denied the claim, along with defying a subpoena from the committee.
Issa’s overt bigotry has been limited to attacks on election opponents; Gayservative radio host Carl DeMaio was baited in ads, and 2020 Democratic opponent Amar Campa-Najjar endured slanders suggesting he was a terrorist.
Hiding behind a denial about white nationalist extremists in the military can only mean one thing, namely that Issa approves of their recruiting and infiltration. The facts are all around him; he chooses not to see.
A Military Times 2019 reader survey of active duty subscribers found that “more than one-third of all active-duty troops and more than half of minority service members say they have personally witnessed examples of white nationalism or ideological-driven racism within the ranks.”
Last year, Roll Call obtained a copy of a Pentagon report that warned of the inroads white supremacists were making in the military. The October 2020 report, now public, notes:
“DoD is facing a threat from domestic extremists (DE), particularly those who espouse white supremacy or white nationalist ideologies. Some domestic extremist/terror groups (a) actively attempt to recruit military personnel into their group or cause, (b) encourage their members to join the military, or (c) join, themselves, for the purpose of acquiring combat and tactical experience. Military members are highly prized by these groups as they bring legitimacy to their causes and enhance their ability to carry out attacks. In addition to potential violence, white supremacy and white nationalism pose a threat to the good order and discipline within the military. Service members are prohibited from participating in or advocating for supremacist and other extremist ideology.”
More recently, in May, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a report, “The Insider Threat and Extremist Activity Within the DoD” including the following charts:
As the Southern Poverty Law Center’s memo to the Veteran Affairs Committee last fall indicated, the lack of data about the extent of extremist infiltration of active duty military and veterans prevents the implementation of policies designed to curb such activities:
There is a significant shortage of research focused on a holistic, whole-of-government examination of extremism in the military.
The Department of Defense should partner with vetted academic researchers with strong track records on radicalization and extremism to provide access to enlisted servicemembers, so they may research this dangerous phenomena and produce reports offering empirical guidance and lessons learned.
These reports, along with the expanded, anonymous climate surveys and incident data collected and made public on both hate crimes (under the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 199069) and violations of existing policies related to white supremacy or other forms of extremism, should be helpful to inform the creation of evidence-informed trainings intended to inoculate against radicalization at entry, throughout one’s military career, and as veterans reenter into civilian life.
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