The FBI is calling on Congress to pass laws giving federal agents greater authority to prosecute children in relation to what it categorizes as domestic terrorism, according to the Bureau’s recently released Strategic Intelligence Assessment and Data on Domestic Terrorism.
The report, which was presented to lawmakers last month, focuses primarily on the alleged threat landscape regarding what federal officials have dubbed “Domestic Violent Extremism,” or DVE.
The assessment points out that federal domestic terrorism investigations grew to record highs during the relevant year of analysis, largely due to the mass classification of Donald Trump supporters arrested for entering the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021 as Domestic Violent Extremists.
Tucked away in the 44-page report’s “Legislative Initiatives” section, the Department of Homeland Security and FBI contend that existing federal law sets the bar for arresting and prosecuting juvenile investigative targets too high:
“The FBI is actively working with DOJ on some broader legislative initiatives that can benefit both federal investigations and prosecutions, including those relating to DT. For example, there are ongoing discussions about adjusting legislation in response to the challenges in disrupting juvenile threat actors via federal law enforcement actions. We will inform and work with the Congress in the event we identify any critical gaps in our authorities that may have negative effects on our ability to accomplish our mission.”
The topic of “disrupting juvenile threat actors via federal law enforcement actions” is not extrapolated upon further, but a recent forum featuring intelligence operatives from multiple agencies revealed the depth of the FBI’s fixation on children it perceives as holding a domestic violent extremist political ideology.
At an October 24th discussion hosted by the Homeland Security Experts Group (HSEG) — a privately controlled information sharing consortium overseen by former DHS secretary, PATRIOT Act co-author and Israeli citizen Michael Chertoff — the assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division Robert Wells stated that many children his agency identifies as DVE’s are not breaking any federal or state laws, but he believes they still require law enforcement intervention.
Wells goes on to state that the FBI is currently working with its Behavioral Analysis Unit to analyze children who are expressing a belief or sentiment that does not violate any laws in order to formalize a procedure for federal agents to take it upon themselves to intervene in their lives.
The FBI and Department of Justice’s war on domestic terror has been racked with controversy. Critics hold that the FBI and Department of Justice are using the pretense of fighting terrorism as a means towards the end of suppressing political opposition.
A 1,000 page report released earlier this week by Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee details allegations of bias, incompetence, rampant corruption and statements made by several FBI whistleblowers that the Bureau’s campaign against “domestic terrorism” is nothing more than a naked political crackdown against Constitutionally protected right-wing and religious beliefs.
Among the specific charges made by over a dozen conscientious FBI agents, they contend that they were compelled by supervisors to manufacture fraudulent domestic terrorism data in order to justify increasing the federal government’s power to crush legitimate political activity the powerful people disagree with.
The civil liberties question of whether FBI agents have the legal right to monitor or interfere in the activities of minors who are not breaking any laws was not examined in its official assessment, nor was it raised in discussions hosted at the HSEG conference.
