Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wants answers from the FBI on what it is doing to target white supremacists who are infiltrating police agencies, and he's giving the bureau until March 26 to respond.
In a letter sent to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday, Raskin, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, wrote that last year, FBI officials were asked to testify in a hearing regarding the infiltration of law enforcement departments by white supremacists. Over the last 15 years, there have been multiple internal FBI reports on the matter, The Guardian reports, but Raskin said his invitation to testify was rejected, with the FBI saying "it did not believe that this threat was supported by evidence."
The Jan. 6 Capitol riot is proof the threat is real, Raskin said, as at least 18 current and former police officers, firefighters, and members of the military have been charged in connection with the attack — in some cases, police chiefs reported their own officers. Because the FBI wouldn't admit that "extremist police officers posed a serious threat to our nation's security," Raskin wrote, he's now concerned that the agency "lacks an adequate strategy to respond to the clear and present danger to public safety."
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It's time for the FBI to "level with the American people about the steps it is taking to combat the infiltration of law enforcement departments by white supremacists," Raskin said, and he is asking the bureau to brief Congress on the matter by March 26.
Last month, an internal FBI document was circulated warning that the San Antonio division found white supremacists were planning on joining the military and police departments so they could learn how to wage war or commit acts of violence against minority groups, ABC News reports.
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