All eyes were on Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire last week for hearings on a whistleblower complaint out of the White House.
But lawmakers want to hear more from Maguire soon about a different topic: the threat of transnational, white supremacist terrorism.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin (D), chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and Massachusetts Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D), chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, sent a letter Monday asking Maguire for a briefing on the counterterrorism efforts before Oct. 18.
The subcommittees have held joint hearings about the threat of white supremacist terrorism throughout the summer, including earlier this month. Witnesses testified about supremacist attacks in Norway, Canada, New Zealand, Charleston, S.C., El Paso, Texas, and Pittsburgh.
While the Department of Homeland Security released a report earlier this month that identifies white supremacist violent extremists as a national security threat, the lawmakers say they are concerned that other intelligence agencies have not aligned priorities with the transnational threat.
“Given their historic practice of treating violent white supremacy as a domestic terrorism issue, within the almost exclusive jurisdiction of the FBI and DHS, we are concerned that the remaining [Intelligence Community] agencies have not aligned their strategic priorities with the commensurate transnational threat of violent white supremacy,” the chairmen wrote.
The lawmakers want Maguire’s briefing to include information about ongoing counter-terrorism threats, as well as copies of any strategies, policies or implementation documents.
The full letter is online.
Danielle E. Gaines
Contributor
Danielle Gaines worked for Maryland Matters from September 2018 to January 2024. She covered government and politics for Maryland Matters for two years before moving into an editing position, ultimately serving as editor-in-chief for nearly three years. Previously, she spent six years at The Frederick News-Post ― as the paper’s principal government and politics reporter for half that time, covering courts and legal affairs before that. She also reported for the now-defunct The Gazette of Politics and Business in Maryland and previously worked as a county government and education reporter at The Merced Sun-Star in California’s Central Valley.
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