New domestic terrorism law gains traction with the Left

[Valin]

Washington Examiner

Joseph Simonson

January 12, 2021

The attack on Capitol Hill by President Trump's supporters has sparked renewed interest in a Democratic-backed bill to increase the ability of the federal government to conduct surveillance on the far Right.

The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, first passed by the House in September of last year, would create "dedicated domestic terrorism offices within the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to analyze and monitor domestic terrorist activity and require the Federal Government to take steps to prevent domestic terrorism," according to the bill's language.

First introduced by Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, the bill gained support from Senate Democrats, including Dick Durbin of Illinois, who introduced the bill in the upper chamber, and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

"While not the only threat, it is one that is the most fluid and prominent one and has recently expanded to the targeting to a wider array of public officials that include Republicans and law enforcement," said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism and who has written extensively on domestic political extremists. "Sen. Durbin's bill is a good step in that direction, as we need structural alacrity and good information to respond to this prominent and fluid coalesced insurgency."

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[Valin]

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