This hearing will look at a range of violent antigovernment actors, movements, and organizations, highlighting recent threats from militia extremists and accelerationists, including the Boogaloo Movement, who seek to accelerate society toward violent collapse. Anything that is threatening institutions, we also look at it. That is what we are doing today. It is incredibly irrelevant to me which groups we look at so long that we are looking at the principal ones that threaten peoples lives. Some of these Extremist Movements stream from ideologies that are decades old. Others are both having new. Others are relatively new. These threats range from decentralized and leaderless accelerationist networks to more structured militia groups. Antigovernment extremism is one of the Common Threads, but we often see overlap with antiimmigrant, antisemitic, antiblack, antimuslim ideologies as well, bringing these extremists into common cause with others who are extremist in nature. We have an opportunity to discuss the current Threat Landscape from these movements so we can develop an understanding of how they have flourished in our communities and in online spaces. We have seen horrific acts of violence. In april, a man in texas was arrested after skimming himself streaming himself on Facebook Live searching for a Law Enforcement officer to ambush. In may and june, a man in california shot and killed a department of Homeland Security federal protective Service Officer and wounded one more, and then went on to kill a Santa Cruz CountyPolice Officer before being arrested. He wrote the word boog in blood after carrying out the second murder. In may, three men were arrested by the fbi in nevada, in possession of molotov cocktails, while reportedly on their way to incite violence at a black lives matter protest in las vegas. In june, a man in oklahoma was arrested and found to be in possession of an illegally modified machinegun, homemade grenades, and molotov cocktails, all of these men appear to be connected to the Boogaloo Movement. The list goes on and on. It is important today that we do not lose sight of how these movements intersect with other popular extremist groups. We are going to be asking some really critical questions today. Number one is what do we do about this. What does Law Enforcement do, what is the federal government do, what should social media do . What do we do in it collaborative way and what we do in a mandatory way . We have a shared responsibility across the public and private sectors. The lives of our lawenforcement officials are on the line. The lives of innocent citizens who are congregating in protests are on the line. I believe in so many ways, the future of this country and sanctity of the constitution is on the line. With that, the chair recognizes mr. Walker. Thank you, mr. Chairman. There is no doubt that across the globe there is an uptick in extremist ideology. Particularly linked to White Supremacy. As the committee created after 9 11, we must stay focused on the continued jihadi threat. We are seeing the adoption of accelerationist rhetoric with call to target government institutions and Law Enforcement for adherence to commit acts of violence as a means of creating further unrest. We have seen this in subpoenas movements, antigovernment groups and environmental organizations. This convergence of violent ideologies results in the sharing of tactics and propaganda and the spreading of misinformation and conspiracies as well as the liberation of celebration of violence. I probably should start with expressing my condolences to the families of david underwood, a dhs protective Security Officer and a deputy that the chairman just mentioned. They were both murdered in the line of duty in may and june. I want to express support for the speedy recovery of their colleagues who were also injured. The suspect believed to be responsible have been arrested and the fbi is conducting an investigation into the links of the possible support for the Boogaloo Movement which is an accelerationist term. We also must review others as the chairman mentioned. I appreciate that. These attacks are on all americans. Groups like antifa, and i know that seems to be a conservative talking point, but its not. The kind of damage they are doing, a reporter sat in my office and i could still see the injuries. There has been a consistent effort by antifa supporters to infiltrate protests to lay siege to government buildings. In portland alone, the police chief has stated that the violence has costed the city tens of millions of dollars. These are the kinds of things that we must stand together regardless of politics. In seattle there is an effort to deny the antifa movement. We need to move forward. The reality is that antifa is not an organization. We understand that. But it is a movement, an ideology, and a call for violent rioting. The people involved in the zones and violence around the city are part of these movements. We can agree that all of these groups, boogaloo, antifa and any other Extremist Movements must be condemned, and i think that is why this hearing is crucial today. These violent extremists on all sides are tending to hijack legitimate protests and interrupt debate on needed institutional reforms. Some are targeting protesters. Some are attacking Police Officers. Many are vandalizing government buildings and others seek to create autonomy zones. We need effort to condemn violence and restore order. I want to thank the witnesses for appearing before the subcommittee today. I look forward to your testimony and i yield back my time. I think the Ranking Member i thank the Ranking Member. The subcommittee will operate according to the guidelines laid out by chairman thompson and ranking number roberts. The chair recognizes mr. Thompson for an opening statement. In chairman thompsons absence, the chair recognizes the Ranking Member, mr. Rodgers for an opening statement. Chairman thompson, i will recognize you for an opening statement. Chairman thompson thank you very much, chairman rose. I thank you for convening this timely hearing today and for your leadership. This committee is known for following the threats wherever they may lead. This hearing provides us with the opportunity to examine the emerging threat from violent antigovernment extremists. I believe todays hearing is the first congressional hearing that focuses on the emerging threat of the accelerationist and i applaud chairman rose for examining this issue. It is important that members and the American Public hear from these experts today to understand those emerging threats. Recent attacks and arrests have showcased the threat from individuals affiliated with the Boogaloo Movement. This loose coalition present an immediate danger to Law Enforcement and the american people. As our experts have shared in their written testimony, this movement is complex and requires a nuanced understanding. The Boogaloo Network appears to be largely antigovernment, constantly changing and drawing followers from the fringes of many different extremist ideologies. The Common Thread is the desire to accelerate society toward a second civil war. That means that many of them are driven to commit violence. It is imperative the department of Homeland Security and other fellow agencies immediately devote resources toward understanding and confronting these emerging threats. I understand that this is a difficult issue, but it is not acceptable for dhs to remain in the dark. Law enforcement officials made a Law Enforcement officials remain a top target of these individuals and extremists which means that it is even more urgent for dhs to produce and disseminate information to state and local Law Enforcement so they can stay ahead of the threat. Federal resources and attention must be appropriately allocated. We need to follow the threat. We should not be swayed by political whims. It goes without saying that Property Damage and any and all violence linked to antifa should be condemned. Public reporting, arrest records, the governments reporting indicate that right wing extremists pose a more urgent threat to americans. We will hear from experts about the threats facing americans. I look forward to the discussion on how the violent fringes of these movements have utilized Online Platforms to their advantage. This has been a major concern of mine over the last congress and one of the reasons i introduced hr 4782, the National Commission on Online Platforms and Homeland Security act. The commission would seek to understand how bad actors, including extremists, exploit Online Platforms in furtherance of violence. This bipartisan piece of legislation was voted out of this committee in october 2019 and awaits action from our colleagues in the energy and commerce committee. This committee will continue to shed light on how social media platforms are exploited and also hold the Companies Accountable when they failed to enforce the policies they have set forth to combat extremists. I appreciate the witnesses joining us today, and again and and again thank chairman rose for convening this hearing today and i yield back. Chairman rose thank you, mr. Chairman. Our first witness is jj macnab. She is an expert on antigovernment extremism. Our second witness is dr. Heidi beirich, cofounder of the Global Project against hate and extremism. She has more than two decades of experience fighting extremism including leading the Southern Poverty Law Center intelligence project. Our third and final witness is jack donohue. He is a former chief of Strategic Initiatives at the new York City Police department. He brings to this discussion his from his experience time as a leader at the nypd. Thank you for your Extraordinary Service for new york city with the men in blue. The greatest Police Department in the world. I will allow each witness to summarize his opening statement. Thank you to the distinguished members of the subcommittee. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify today. I am a Research Fellow at George Washingtons program on extremism. The remarks i will express are my own. Im here to talk about the militant segment of the antigovernment Extremist Movement. People who want to change or topple the country by force or a threat of force. Like any large movement, this group goes through cycles and in the months following the 2016 election, altright supremacy groups experienced a meteoric rise. Military extremists either joined these movements or were quiet. They approve of the Current Administration and so their antigovernment rage abated for a time. However, renewed conversations about gun control laws, stress from the pandemic, the mainstreaming of antivaccine conspiracy theories, high unemployment rate, civil unrest in major u. S. Cities, and the extreme divisiveness plaguing the Upcoming Elections have triggered a recent reverb. The movement is not monolithic. The oath keepers membership include Police Officers and military veterans has shifted from armed standoffs to providing support to Small Businesses violating state harm pandemic orders. And organizing armed guards to protect neighborhoods from violence. 3 ers is a hybrid between a Militia Network and a gun club. This group leaves they only needed 3 of americans to overthrow the current u. S. Government. Each subgroup is independent of the others and there is no leadership for structures. It has kept them from becoming a force. The militia is a much mueller much smaller segment of the business. Scattered throughout the country, engaged in armed training, have a relatively organized structure and even though many states prohibit their activities, they offer operate with impunity. The idea of a second American Revolution where armed patriots rise up and overthrow a tyrannical government has been the dream of extremists for decades. Most call this the second American Revolution. Members of the weapons board renamed it the boogaloo which later turned into big luau and big igloo. Supporters were hawaiian shirts under their body armor and the look went viral. Other militants started copying the shirts and jargon. For most it was just an in joke, a tribal aesthetic that separated those who were in the know from those who were not. Most boogaloo members are libertarian anarchists who hate cops. The goal is to hasten the collapse of the government through attacks on police. These are the major players, how they react to Current Events raises many red flags. Im worried that any attempt to pass guncontrol regulation could trigger violence. This could include red flag laws, bans on certain types of rifles or any legislation that is viewed as a foot the door leading to gun confiscation. Another potential issue is the covid19 pandemic which is placing significant stress on extremist groups. If states return to lockdown status, i am concerned that individuals and small groups will lash out quietly against the government, Law Enforcement, medical professionals, essential workers, contact tracers and medical infrastructure. Some militants driven by conspiracy theories have already turned to armed resistance and have taken up guns to protect Business Owners who want to violate stayathome orders. Michigan has been a hotspot for such activity, and in may the state had to cancel legislative sessions because of the threat. I am also concerned for the upcoming election that will spark violent events if the president loses his reelection bid. The risk that worries me most, i am concerned that there will be a shootout at one of the black lives matter protests. There are too many guns at these events held by too many groups with conflicting goals. You can find that those taking takerscan find the oath taking to the streets to protect police or businesses from antifa for when boogaloo joined forces with black lives matter against the police, adding the National Guard and federal agencies and rights the premises groups along with a growing number of leftwing militants and volunteer armed guards, there is the potential street war growing. There are militant groups and individuals willing to shootout or bomb police and protesters just to get that war started so they can use the chaos to accelerate their own plans for revolution. These groups know they need a catalyst, a big event. They need a ruby ridge or waco so they can be the next mcveigh. Most are waiting for the big event but there are some that will do what they have to to force this occurrence. Thank you for your time. Chairman rose thank you for your testimony. We will now recognize mr. Donohue. Thank you very much. Good morning members of the subcommittee and chair thompson. I am john donohue, recently retired threestar chief from the new York City Police department for 32 years of patrol, intelligence and strategy. The opinions im giving are my own. I am testifying to discuss safety concerns and challenges for Law Enforcement made by the growing phenomenon of militia extremism and the power of online movements to influence violent actions domestically. The use of social media is documented. These platforms are mobile and ubiquitous. In the United States, we cherish the right for freedom of speech and assembly and social media has been embraced by many to share ideas and opinions on any topic at any time. What is recently observable from social media data is that there is an exponential growth in participation in the cyber social domain coalesced around a revolutionary and extremist themes at either ends of the ideological spectrum. Those extremists have Law Enforcement squarely in their sites. In the early stages to motivate in the early stages of the isis caliphate to motivate some youth and disaffected to support devices, we know the recruitment started on the social media platforms and moved to encrypted communications to shield criminal conversations from authorities. The same cycle is happening domestically with militia movements on the far right and far left. A report i coauthored in may on the Network ContagionResearch Institute shows that on social memes become viral and evolved, plant hateful and revolutionary ideas in the public eye often disguised as inside jokes. The boogaloo code word for revolution is an example of that movement. In pro