Trump equivocates on white supremacy, FBI warns of right-wing terror

An intelligence report dated the day of the presidential debate predicts a “violent extremist threat” posed by a far-right militia.

The Nation's DC correspondent Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) reports:

Asked at yesterday’s presidential debate if he would condemn white supremacist violence by groups like the Proud Boys, President Trump was defiant, remarking: “Almost everything I see is from the left-wing, not the right-wing.” But that very same day, the FBI issued an intelligence report warning of an imminent “violent extremist threat” posed by a far-right militia that includes white supremacists—identifying the 2021 inauguration as a “potential flashpoint.”

The intelligence report, obtained exclusively by The Nation and titled “Boogaloo Adherents Likely Increasing Anti-Government Violent Rhetoric and Activities, Increasing Domestic Violent Extremist Threat in the FBI Dallas Area of Responsibility,” warns of the threat posed by the far-right militia group known as the “Boogaloos.”

Marked “For Official Use Only” and “Law Enforcement Sensitive,” the document was prepared by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office and is dated September 30, 2020. It draws on a wide array of intelligence sources, making specific mention of human sources—suggesting the Bureau may have confidential informants within the group.

The document points to several catalysts for the rise in the group’s membership, including resentment over perceived government overreach embodied by the COVID-19 shutdown and the presidential election.

Ken Klippenstein is The Nation's DC correspondent. His reporting focuses on the machinations of the American national security state and documents under-the-radar politics and policies enacted by the Trump administration. Klippenstein was previously senior investigative reporter for The Young Turks and a frequent contributor to The Daily Beast. His reporting has been referenced by countless outlets and cited by Congress.

Founded by abolitionists in 1865, The Nation has chronicled the breadth and depth of political and cultural life from the debut of the telegraph to the rise of Twitter, serving as a critical, independent, and progressive voice in American journalism.