Zachary Mueller: “The threats of political violence and terrorism are coming from inside the house and Republicans are egging it on.”
Washington, DC – A new terrorism advisory bulletin from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) outlines renewed threats to LGBTQ, Jewish, and migrant communities from domestic actors. As NBC News reports:
“In a terrorism advisory bulletin, the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday raised concerns about potential threats to the LGBTQ, Jewish and migrant communities from violent extremists inside the United States. Americans motivated by violent ideologies pose a ‘persistent and lethal threat,’ a senior DHS official told reporters in a briefing on the bulletin.
…The bulletin also said ‘potential changes in border enforcement policy, an increase in noncitizens attempting to enter the U.S. or other immigration-related developments’ may heighten calls for violence.”
Threats and deadly violence against these specific communities are not happening in a vacuum. In the midterm election cycle, Republican candidates and allies, including Stephen Miller, spent tens of millions of dollars on portraying these specific communities as threats, including by mainstreaming white nationalist and anti-LGBTQ+ lies that have been tied to deadly attacks in places such as El Paso, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and the recent attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs.
In light of these deadly attacks, the renewed threats AND the political reality that GOP extremism and the party’s role in mainstreaming these vile ideas was a liability – not a benefit – in the midterms, will the Republican Party adjust course and adopt a more responsible approach moving forward?
Doubtful, as several of leading GOP figures have already doubled down on the deadly bigoted ideas in the weeks following the elections.
From Donald Trump’s recent meal with white nationalist Nick Fuentes to Texas Governor Greg Abbott declaring migrants an “invasion” to Kevin McCarthy’s recent border photo op and pledge to impeach Secretary Mayorkas, the GOP appears ready to punt on real solutions and constructive governance and to instead continue to court the very real political violence the DHS is warning about. As former GOP House staffer Kurt Bardella writes in a new Los Angeles Times op-ed, “It’s Groundhog Day for the GOP. Failure after defeat is becoming a Republican hallmark.”
According to Zachary Mueller, Political Director of America’s Voice:
“The threats of political violence and terrorism are coming from inside the house and Republicans are egging it on.
The new DHS terrorist advisory highlighting threats to LGBTQ+, Jewish and migrant communities should be a call to action for a Republican reckoning and course correction about their role and complicity in elevating and mainstreaming dangerous ideas and dehumanizing rhetoric against these communities.
Yet, according to Kevin McCarthy, who wants to be Speaker of the House, their first reaction to these clear domestic threats is to attempt to impeach the very DHS cabinet secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, who is charged with protecting the United States. They are intent on playing politics with national security and falsely claim that immigrants seeking safety are the existential threat. This echoes the very rhetoric and conspiracies that have repeatedly inspired the terrorist threats DHS is again warning about. While it doesn’t appear like Republicans are interested in a course correction or learning lessons from past failures and tragedies, they must be held to account to protect American democracy and basic public safety.”
