The bigger risk to the body politic would have been to remain silent in the face of such a threat."īiden speaking in Philadelphia on Thursday night. The President was right to call them out.
that we are in a dangerous moment right now, a moment where simply stating the truth about the fragility of our democracy brings out the worst instincts of those who want to tear it apart. And that some of the more extreme elements in our society are now calling for more violence only proves the very point of his speech. "The President’s message couldn’t have been more clear: there is no place in our democracy for political violence,” the statement said. In a statement to Yahoo News on Friday, the White House said that the calls for violence following Biden’s speech illustrate the threat the president described. Cohen added that online calls for violence were extensive prior to the speech, but appear to be on the rise. “I am concerned, however, that his words will be used by America’s adversaries to incite attacks by those who believe that violence is an acceptable way to express one’s political or ideological beliefs,” he said. “The president provided a powerful portrayal of the complex dynamic and dangerous threat environment currently facing the U.S., a threat environment fueled by the conspiracy theories and other extremist content that is pervasive across the online and media ecosystem,” said Cohen, former acting undersecretary for intelligence at DHS and currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)įormer senior DHS counterterrorism official John Cohen told Yahoo News he was also concerned about the potential ramifications of Biden’s speech. Then-President Donald Trump tosses out MAGA caps at a rally in Waterford Township, Mich., in October 2020. The Department of Homeland Security referred Yahoo News’ request for comment to the White House National Security Council. Some said they also didn’t want to be seen as criticizing the president. The officials requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. A different counterterrorism official said they were concerned that fringe right-wing and extremist groups will use Biden’s speech to recruit and fundraise, potentially increasing the longer-term threat from these groups. On Friday, this official said their fears appear to have been confirmed by what they described as an uptick in threats of potential violence. “Sadly this is not a united speech but a very divisive one.” “I fear he is lighting a fuse that is not going to go well,” one senior Biden counterterrorism official said. domestic counterterrorism officials told Yahoo News they were concerned the president’s words would further divide the nation and lead to increased threats against government and law enforcement officials.
(Leah Millis/Reuters)ĭuring Biden's speech, four current U.S.
“Users advocated for Biden to be murdered and predicted violence if he continues speaking about the topic.”Ī far-right rally featuring Nick Fuentes, a leader of the America First movement and a white nationalist, Nov. “Users on several far-right and ultranationalist venues made violent threats against President Joe Biden following his speech addressing political extremism on September 1, 2022,” said one of the alerts. The potential threats were posted in online forums tied to the Proud Boys, neo-Nazis and other extremist groups. Site Intelligence Group, which tracks online extremism activity, issued several threat alerts detailing calls for violence in response to Biden’s speech. Trump and many of his supporters have long claimed, without evidence, that the 2020 presidential election won by Biden was stolen from Trump due to widespread voter fraud.
TRUMP CALL TO ARMS SERIES
“On Gab, one user posted a series of violent threats accusing Biden of stealing the election,” according to a threat alert from Site Intelligence Group sent to law enforcement agencies and others on Friday. Declarations of civil war were also appearing, according to documents detailing some of the threats. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)īy Friday afternoon, posts on forums popular among white supremacists and far-right extremists called for the assassination of Biden, and named Jewish administration officials including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as potential targets. President Biden delivers remarks on what he called the "continued battle for the soul of the nation" at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
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