Judiciary will come to order. Without objection the chair is authorized to declare recess of the committee at any time. We welcome everyone to this mornings hearing on oversight of the department of justice and National Security division. Before we begin ith would like o remind members weve established an email address and addressing distribution list for the motions and written materials. If you would like to submit materials please send them to the email addressss previously and we will circulate the materials as quickly as we can. I will now recognize myself for an opening statement. The National Security division was established within the department of justice in 2006 with the purpose of creating an incentive for incenr intelligence National Security and counterterrorism streamlining interactions between federal prosecutors main justice and the Intelligence Community. Operating on the front lines includingin the domestic terrorism, Cyber Espionage and threats of the foreignju government. Leading the division today is assistant attorney general matthew olson. Im pleased to welcome you to the committee and to hear your perspective. Created in the yearsan after the september 11th attacks and what we used to call the United States government war on terror and the division is integral to the fight to keep the country safe from terrorist threats. We face the necessity of internal transformation because the face of terrorism has changed. The greatest threat to American Safety is no longer extremism and we can no longer dismissed dismiss thethreat that is cominr people from other cultures. None of us can afford to turn a blind eye. Its far right extremism and growing exponentially. The attorney general told our colleagues in the senate just over a year ago the greatest threat facing the United States from racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists specifically those that advocated the superiority of the white race. White supremacists militia members and the far right extremist groups responsible for 66 of the domestic terror plots in 2020 and the fatalities from terrorism in 2021 were at the hands of radicalized far right. The numbers we can but the imminence of the threat at practical terms one republican candidate and it promoted the hateful speech of the shooter in the tree of life synagogue. In the Political Movement it wouldnt be welcomed to the country they hope to build. T across the country anyone hoping to attend the turning point usa conference in tampa past the demonstration of neonazis. The weapons of war in the country this is seen a poetic messaging an 18yearold radicalized social media can walk into a shop within ar 15 that same day. Far right extremists and white supremacist terror groups present not only a significant threat to the lives of americans but also relatedly an unprecedented challenge for the National Security division. I applaud the attorney general for the creation of the doj domestic Terrorism Unit this past january which will be specifically dedicated to responding to the increasing threats posed by the domestic terrorists. But to be clear, the Department Already has the resources and structures in place to fight sedomestic terrorism. What i hope to hear from mr. Wilson today is how the department will focus the resources posed by all the actors targeting the government and the court system faces incredibly significant and sophisticated Cyber Security breach that have lingering impacts on the department and other agencies. The concentration of National Security matters in a Single Division ostensibly allows the doj and executive Branch Overall to responde more effectively to threats facing the United States, it also presents opportunities for abuse. That is why im looking forward to hearing how the division is informing the governance processes to relay the concerns about section 702 database. Im interested to hear how theyo are responding to the inspector generalsta concerns at the epicenter of programs and policy areas that both engender debate and where the federal government anis historically falling short when it comes to protecting Civil Liberties. From the warrantless surveillance of american citizens to the targeting of black and brown communities, the sweeping collection of private data and communications, the illconceiveder initiative politically motivated investigations of the press and members of congress and much more, nsc has the time spent itself on the wrong end of the battle between Civil Liberties and security. I hope the division will commit to forging a new path to strike the proper balance. Protecting those that seek totio them harm is a concern. The nuance speaks to the hearts and values and its your responsibility as the divisions leader to protect the ideals along with the people. Thank you for being here today, mr. Olson, and i look forward to your testimony. We now recognize the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from ohio, mr. Jordan, for his statements. Mr. Olson, welcome. In america we shouldnt need to say that parents speaking out about their childrens education or domestic terrorists or those raising concerns about the direction of the left trying to take this country are not domestic terrorists. The Biden Administration is bound to determine and demonize anyone and everyone not in lockstep with the far left agenda. Last september, the Biden White House colluded with the National SchoolBoard Association to orchestrate a letter to President Biden that portrayed concerned parents speaking out of School Board Meetings as security threats. The letter urged the president to use the patriot act to go after americas moms and dads. Bothe attorney general issued a memorandum directing the fbi and the attorneys offices, quote, a disturbing spike in harassment and intimidation and threats of violence at School Board Meetings. If you remember when we head of the attorney general in front o the committee, we asked about where did they get this, where didin they learn about this harassment, the serving spike and intimidation, where did they learn about it and his response was from the School Board Letter they helped coordinate. Mr. Olsons division, the National Security division would be involved in a departmentwide effort to target parents. Thats right. The division that is supposed to be prosecuting terrorists protecting us from terrorists, the kind that want to hijack buildings, excuse me, planes and bring down buildings decided that a priority of the division of the fbi. And we find out the situation was coordinated. The letter was a pretext for the memorandum. The letter was instigated by th. White house. Documents released by the School Board Association show that the white house knew that the letter would urge the administration to invoke the patriot act and the white house raised no objections. Inth fact, the National SchoolBoard Associationth admitted to President Biden telephoned the then an sba president to say he wass appreciative of the letter. This all came to light and American Parents became outraged the National SchoolBoard Association apologized for its actions. They wrote to its members, quote, we regret and apologize for theti letter. Thats a lot more the end the attorney general or the Biden Administration have done because as far as we know, the memorandum is still in place. The attorney generals directive to the National Security division to target moms and dads remains in place. And this was it. It was just a political stunt that would be bad enough but its actually much worse. Specifically targeting parents a designation specifically targeting moms and dads and opened two dozen investigations into parents merely because they stood up to speak on behalf ofn their children. We see countless letters to the doj to get answers but have gotten virtually nothing back in response. Im sure we will have some questions today and i hope that he is prepared to give us answersre on that the constitues deserve. We also hope he is prepared to talk about the department off justices refusal to address people trying to intimidate the Supreme Court justices at their homes and their childrens schools. And we have great concerns about the terrorist attacks targeting the prolife facilities and groupssu around the country. This year thereve been dozens of attacks on the facilities, but the Biden Administration seems preoccupied with other politically charged investigations. Wed also like to know why the doj is ignoring the facts including the business dealings and illegal activities of hunter biden. The troubling pattern has come to light recently to indicate the Justice Department seems more focused on politics than on fighting crime and dont forget to this is a division of the department of justice that we end trust with surveillance. The National Security vision is the office of intelligence and responsible for preparing and filing all obligations pursuant to fisa and appearing before Intelligence Surveillance court. Of course we all know about the visas over the past several years and how the department of justice and fbi misused to target the campaign ofof presidt trump and interested with a great deal of responsibility. Its our hope that today theyve come prepared to answer a great deal of questions the committee has about the department of justice. I will now introduce todays witness. Matthew wilson is the assistant attorneyre general for National Security and in that capacity, leads the department of justices mission to combat terrorism, espionage, cybercrime and other threats to the National Security. From 2011 to 2014, mr. Olson served as the director of the National Counterterrorism center prior to leaving and cdc as a general counsel for the nationai security agency. For 18 years, mr. Olson workedio at the department of justice and as an attorney and a number of leadership positions including associate Deputy Attorney general for National Security, special counselor to the attorney general mr. Olson began his Public Service career as a Trial Attorney and Civil Rights Division in the department of justice and later held positions in the federal prosecutor and u. S. Attorneys office in the district of columbia and special counsel to the director. We thank you for participating today andr i will begin by swearing un. We ask that you rise and raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm under penalty of perjury that the testimony youre about to give us true and correct to the best of your knowledge, information and belief so help you god . I do. Let the record to show the witnesses answered in the affirmative. Thank you and please be seated. Into the entirety accordingly i ask that you summarize your testimony in five minutes. Tose help you stay within that time there is a light on the table. When the light switches from green to yellow, you have a minute to conclude your testimony. When the light turns red, that signals your five minutes of expired. Mr. Olson, you may begin. Thank you, chairman, Ranking Member jordan, members of the committee. I very much appreciate the opportunity to be here to testify about the important work of the Justice Department on National Security. As you know and have noted the division was created in 2006. The National Security efforts and the divisiondi is a wide rae of responsibilities. We prosecute terrorists and spies to protect the nation against Cyber Attacks and enforce the controls. We provide a legal and policy support to intelligence operations and oversight and review investments in u. S. Companies for National Security risks. Ence this morning i would like to focus my statement on one of the Top Priorities and that is counterterrorism. The country faces a persistent and dynamic threat on terrorism. This encompasses both foreign groups and attacks against the United States as well as domestic violent extremists who are often mobilized byby racism and antigovernment ideologies. International terrorism was a continuing and evolving threat both at home and abroad. We keep an unwavering focus on violent jihadist groups and we play an integral role in the all of government efforts to defend against these threats. At the same time, the department of justice is committed to tackling the alarming threat at home from domestic violent extremism. Domestic violent extremists are individuals in the United States who seek to commit violent criminal acts in furtherance of political goals. For example, wein have seen a growing threat from those motivated by racism. We also see an increase in threats from extremists who espouse antigovernment or antiauthority ideologies. Andd who often target those who participate in the civil life such as elected officials, Police Officers and healthcare workers. There is no doubt these threats are on the rise. The number of fbi investigations over the past two years has more than doubled of domestic violent extremists. The january 6th attack on the u. S. Capital stands apart. The departments investigation is the single largest domestic terrorism investigation in the nations history and to date it slid to the arrest of more than 860 individuals. Many have been charged with a very serious crimes that include seditious conspiracy, obstruction of congress and assault on Police Officers. Wets are committed to Holding Accountable those engaged in violence and other legal acts and bringing to justice anyone who tried to overturn the election. We are upholding our oath to defend the constitution against those who tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. Our National Security mission requires that we protect these fundamental pillars of our democracy. We worked to protect not just the Democratic Institutions but also our citizens and communities froml the terrible costs inflicted by terrorism and violent extremism, the tragedies in buffalo and pittsburgh, el paso, charlottesville and elsewhere are seared in our memories. We must be clear Law Enforcement faces very stark challenges when it comes to domestic extremism. Violent extremists to radicalize quickly and military grade weapons and they target valuable vulnerable locations such as public gatherings, places of worship and Shopping Centers that are difficult to defend. The National Security division plays a Critical Role in countering these threats and we lead in support of the investigations and prosecutions working with our partners at the fbi and with u. S. Attorneys offices around the country. We recently established as you noted a dedicated domestic Terrorism Unit to oversee and coordinate the cases across the department and around the country. The unit works closely with the Civil Rights Division in the department of justice that has prosecuted some of the most heinous terrorist attacks in recent years using the federal hate crime statute. Having spent 18 years myself as a Career Department of justice attorney and prosecutor, i know that our workforce is committed to the constitution and to ensuring equal and impartial justice. We prosecute cases based on the facts and the law without regard to ideology and politics. Our National Strength comes from our founding values. These include the rule of law, freedom of speech and freedom of association. And we will uphold these values as we safeguard of the American People from threats to the safety and National Security. I appreciate the opportunity to testify and look forward to answering