House committee requests briefing on domestic terrorism

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, is requesting a briefing by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Justice Department on the threat of domestic terrorism.

“Recent high-profile acts of violence and attempted violence have underscored the urgency of understanding and developing solutions to the evolving threat of domestic terrorism. Indeed, recent internal FBI data show more domestic terrorism-related arrests than international terrorism-related arrests in both FY 2017 and FY 2018. As domestic terrorist movements continue to grow and metastasize, it is my hope that the committee can continue to work closely with DOJ and FBI on this matter,” Thompson wrote in a letter to the U.S. Attorney General and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Thompson, who chairs the committee, requested a briefing back in February.

“Regrettably, this is just the latest example of non-cooperation on this important issue. On February 7, 2019, I sent a joint letter with the Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary requesting a briefing no later than March 8, 2019, on the decision to discontinue FBI’s Terrorism report. The report provided a broad, comprehensive overview of the FBI’s counterterrorism efforts, including its response to domestic terrorist activities. My office has not received a response to the letter to date,” Thompson wrote.

He is requesting a briefing with the FBI and DOJ before the committee on March 27 at 10:00 a.m.