DHS Report Finds White Supremacists Most ‘Persistent, Lethal’ Threat to America; Doesn’t Mention Antifa

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A Department of Homeland Security report released Tuesday warned that white supremacists represent the most “persistent and lethal threat” facing Americans, but made no mention of antifa.

“I am particularly concerned about white supremacist violent extremists who have been exceptionally lethal in their abhorrent, targeted attacks in recent years,” Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf wrote in a preface to the report. “I am proud of our work to prevent terrorizing tactics by domestic terrorists and violent extremists who seek to force ideological change in the United States through violence, death, and destruction.”

The report didn’t contain a single reference to antifa, a left-wing group responsible for some acts of violence that took place over the summer, including the August shooting death of 39-year-old Aaron Danielson, a right-wing protester in Washington. Police shot and killed 48-year-old Michael Forest Reinoehl, a self-proclaimed adherent of antifa, as they sought to apprehend him for the killing.

Antifa has been a frequent target of conservatives, including President Donald Trump, who has referred to it on various occasions as a group of “anarchists and thugs.” However, FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers in September that he considered the group an “ideology” rather than a “group or an organization.” Trump responded by condemning the director’s comment, saying he “did not like his answers,” while Attorney General William Barr followed up with a statement drawing a sharp contrast with Wray’s assertion. “The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly,” Barr said.

Wolf sought to explain his report’s findings, saying in a statement to CBS News, “If you are only looking at deaths, and you are not looking at property damage, insurance claims and all the other societal factors, and only looking at deaths, then yes, white supremacist extremists sort of lead that category. But as we have witnessed over the last several months, the movements and the civil unrest we have seen here inside the U.S., while maybe not lethal, certainly have lasting implications to the homeland and do serve as a threat to the homeland.”

Wolf’s report did note the fact that violence over the summer led to 300 injuries among DHS officers who “were assaulted with sledgehammers, commercial grade fireworks, rocks, metal pipes, improvised explosive devices, and more.

“This violence, perpetrated by anarchist extremists … significantly threatens the homeland by undermining officer and public safety — as well as our values and way of life,” the report added.

In addition to domestic violence, the report noted threats posed by China, Russia, and Iran, which it said were seeking to “aggravate social and racial tensions, undermine trust in U.S. authorities, and criticize our elected officials.” It also advised Americans “to understand this threat and arm themselves with all information available to avoid falling prey” to disinformation efforts.

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