Rep. Raskin asks FBI to brief Congress on White Supremacists in law enforcement

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, wants the FBI to brief Congress on the infiltration of white supremacists in law enforcement.

In a letter to the FBI sent Wednesday, Raskin questioned why the FBI repeatedly told his subcommittee last year that there was no evidence that the infiltration was a significant threat.

“The shocking participation of law enforcement personnel in the January 6 domestic terrorist attack against Congress and our Capitol Police means that the Bureau must level with the American public about the steps it is taking to combat white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement agencies,” he wrote.

Police officers across the country are facing discipline, expulsion, and criminal charges stemming from their role in the attack on Congress on Jan. 6. At least 18 current and former police officers, firefighters, and military service members have been charged for participating in the riot. In some cases, law enforcement chiefs have reported their own officers to federal law enforcement following officers posting about their involvement on social media.

“The conclusion seems inescapable that the federal government has already charged multiple off-duty law enforcement agents for participating in an act of domestic terrorism,” Raskin wrote. “The Bureau must have a comprehensive strategy to assess this threat.”

Last year, the Bureau claimed in a briefing with the Subcommittee that infiltration by white supremacists was not a substantiated threat, contradicting their own threat assessment from 2006.

In February 2021, the San Antonio field office of the FBI warned that white supremacists and other far-right extremists would “very likely seek military and law enforcement affiliation in furtherance of” their objectives and that extremists could “gain access to non-public tradecraft and information, enabling them to enhance operational security and develop new tactics.”

Raskin asked the FBI to brief the subcommittee no later than March 26.