The potential of rogue agencies like the FBI and CIA being weaponized against the American people in the name of fighting “domestic extremism” is a real concern, according to Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR).
The 55-year old legislator warned, “Our concern is that the FBI, being a preeminent counterterrorism agency, along with the CIA [and NSA], that those assets could be turned inward to target U.S. citizens without a foreign nexus,” said Crawford, who is on the counterterrorism and counterintelligence panel of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Adding; “You have people that are ramping up the rhetoric on domestic violent extremism … to sort of make the case for and essentially justify the misuse, potentially, of intelligence assets that are specifically authorized for foreign threats,” he continued.
Currently, the FBI has over 2,700 open cases, classified as “domestic extremism investigations.” That number has more than doubled within the last year after the Biden administration doubled down on Trump supporters following the January 6th rally. It was deemed an “insurrection” by the mainstream media, along with U.S. Capitol Police and Homeland Security calling the riot a “national threat priority,” despite the fact that no weapons were found and that the vast majority of the roughly 250,000 protesters were peacefully demonstrating. In some instances, Capitol police were actually seen on video inviting demonstrators to enter the building.
“I’m sick of hearing about last week’s riot on Capitol Hill,” Greg Kelly says on Newsmax TV.
— alexander nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) January 16, 2021
“They’re using it to try to make us feel guilty.” pic.twitter.com/jSkbNWjHYs
To date, hundreds of protesters have been held in deplorable conditions for almost 10 months and denied bail for simply trespassing on federal property.
Also, following the January 6th rioting, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during his confirmation hearing. “The job of the Department of Defense is to keep America safe from our enemies, but we can’t do that if some of those enemies lie with our own ranks.”
That comment quickly followed other Democrat lawmakers making similar remarks, warning that veterans are “uniquely susceptible to recruitment by far right and White supremacy groups.”
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-CA), also chimed in, attempting to tie those that have served their country honorably to hate groups stating at a recent hearing, “The corrupting influence of domestic violent extremist groups that recruit veterans is a critical issue at a time where our nation remains deeply divided.”
That misleading comment by Takano infuriated Republican Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL), who is also on the committee, stating that there is “very little data” on how many veterans are actually involved in violent extremism.
Crawford is also concerned about what had taken place during a rally against critical race theory (CRT) being taught in schools at the Loudoun County Government center in Leesburg, Virginia, on June 12, 2021. In which Attorney General Merrick Garland used the FBI in targeting concerned parents, sending out a memorandum addressing “harassment, intimidation and threats of violence” by parents against school officials and school board members. However, there was never a shred of actual evidence to support Garland’s bogus claim.
“We’re playing fast and loose with the definition of what constitutes a domestic terrorist, and that’s the danger of going down this road without the appropriate safeguards,” Crawford said of the debacle.
In another example, Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) labeled opponents to coronavirus measures as “potential terror threats,” according to an NBC News screen capture reported by Jack Posobiec in August.