Reeling from the news regarding the March 2018 mass shooting tragedy where 50 people were fatally shot and numerous attendees, injured at  2 mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a self acknowledged White Supremacist who distributed his manifesto beforehand, detailing his anti-immigration and anti-Muslim venom, the US House’s Judiciary Committee led by its Democratic Party Chairman, Rep. Jerry Nadler have announced plans to hold a hearing on the subject of rising White Supremacist membership in groups with folks of like-minded thinking and the reality that within the last few years in the USA, most mass murders have been committed by these right wing extremists.

It is disquieting that the republican President Donald Trump is the one president’s name mentioned by the mail bomber, the white supremacist coast guard and the synagogue shooter?  Even, the New Zealand terrorist mentioned Donald Trump in his 74 page manifesto. It is even telling when President Trump, the purveyor of anti-immigration rhetoric using buzz words like invasions of those others (fill in the blank),  deliberately discounts this reality.

He said on 3/15/ 2019, that he thinks white nationalists make up just “a small group of people,” when asked if he believes white nationalism is a “rising threat.”

“I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess. If you look what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that’s the case. I don’t know enough about it yet … But it’s certainly a terrible thing.”

— President Trump

Truth, facts, evidence still matter, here in the USA. These numerous instances of terrorism and radicalization by right wing extremists, deserve greater attention and closer monitoring, to where, they will end up being treated as national and international security threats just as any other ideological form of terror would. The House’s Judiciary Committee planned hearing to make more public, this serious threat against the US public, couldn’t be more timely.

Here’s the rest of the story…

On March 18, 2019, Erin Banco and Sam Stein of Daily Beast penned the following report, “House Judiciary Committee Planning Hearing on the Rise of White Nationalism” (“Days after the massacre in New Zealand, lawmakers are looking for more information from federal agencies on what’s being done to confront the threat.”)

Excerpts:

“The House Judiciary Committee is planning on hosting a hearing in the coming weeks addressing the rise of white nationalism in the U.S. and the hate crime and hate speech surrounding the movement, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the committee’s schedule.”

“The hearing comes on the heels of two mass shootings at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand that killed 50 people. According to local law enforcement, the man charged with those attacks wrote a manifesto outlining his white nationalistic ideology as well as his anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views.”

“The gunman also praised President Donald Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose,” though he said he did not support the president’s policies. The president has dismissed the idea that he inspired the shooting, but the attacker’s manifesto has sparked a renewed focus on Trump’s rhetoric toward immigrants, especially those who hail from countries where Islam is the dominant religion, and his lack of condemnation for white nationalist groups.”

“For those who subscribe to this white nationalism ideology, they feel a sense of empowerment when they hear elected officials in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand promote their white extremist ideological viewpoints in mainstream political rhetoric,” said John Cohen, the former deputy under secretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “Increasingly we have experienced a dramatic increase across the West in hateful rhetoric and targeted acts of violence by individuals who do so specifically in response to what they see as an attack on white society.”

“Though plans are still being finalized, the committee expects to bring in officials from within DHS and the FBI for questioning on the rise of white nationalism in the U.S and the efforts the agencies are currently adopting to combat it. One lawmaker said the goal is to “have a hearing in early April.”

“A spokesperson for the committee didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Though as far back as November, Nadler wrote letters to law enforcement agencies expressing concern about the rise of hate crimes and white supremacy.”

Addressing the rise of white nationalism and related movements has been a tricky proposition for government officials in the past. When the Obama administration’s Department of Homeland Security issued a warning in 2009 about the rise of right-wing extremism, the political backlash was so intense that then Secretary Janet Napolitano had to issue a formal apology. During the last few years, Republican committee chairs resisted calls to hold hearings on the rise of white supremacy even as Congress passed pro forma votes condemning it.

Individuals familiar with the FBI’s focus on the rise of domestic terrorism and the increasing hate speech affiliated with white nationalism told The Daily Beast that the agency is actively working with faith leaders from across the nation to address the threats facing houses of worship.

Link to  article: thedailybeast.com/ House Judiciary Committee Planning Hearing on the Rise of White Nationalism-…