>>> A MICHIGAN MAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED, ACCUSED OF
THREATENING TO KILL FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY AND A
CALIFORNIA CONGRESSMAN THE SUSPECT APPARENTLY BELIEVING A
CHILD SLAVE RING IS BEING RUN OUT OF CONGRESS, IT'S NOT.
THIS IS THE LATEST IN A RASH OF VIOLENT THREATS AGAINST
LAWMAKERS. L
LET'S BRING IN BRYNN GINGRAS TO TALK ABOUT THIS.
>> IT'S OVERWHELMING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AT THIS POINT HOW
MUCH IS HAPPENING AND IT'S BECOMING A GREATER CONCERN FOR
THE FBI AND HOMELAND SECURITY BECAUSE IT CAN BE MORE THAN
WORDS. THESE THREATS AGAINST ELECTED
OFFICIALS, LAW ENFORCEMENT HAVE BEEN INCREASING.
SEVERAL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE BEEN ON THE RECEIVING END OF
THREATS AND IN CASES, IT'S LED TO PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, LOOK NO
CLOSER THAN HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI'S HUSBAND.
A MICHIGAN MAN ACCUSED OF THREATENING TO KILL A
CONGRESSMAN AND CHRISTOPHER WRAY.
CAPITOL POLICE WERE MADE AWARE OF VOICE MAILS LEFT.
THE ACCUSEDD NEIL MATTHEW LEGEN SAID HEY, JOHN, YOU'RE GOING TO
DIE. >> IT'S ALL THE HATE TALK
READILY AVAILABLE ON ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.
IT INCITES PEOPLE TO THESE KINDS OF VIOLENT THREATS AND VIOLENT
ACTION. >> Reporter: IN COMMENTS POSTED
ON THE LIVE STREAM OF TESTIMONY LAST WEEK, WALTER ALLEGEDLY
WROTE I WILL KILL YOU DIRECTOR WRAY, YOU WILL DIE.
I WILL KILL YOU IN SELF-DEFENSE. THERE WERE NUMEROUS COMMENTS
STATING BELIEFS ABOUT A CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT ELECTED
POLITICIANS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, TOM CRUISE AND ELON
MUSK ARE INVOLVED IN A CHILD SLAVE RAPE RING.
ONE LOCATION FOR WHERE THIS RING REPORTEDLY TOOK PLACE THE U.S.
CAPITOL. OFFICIALS REACHED OUT TO POLICE
TO PERFORM A WELFARE CHECK. WALTER REFUSED TO PUT DOWN HIS
HANDGUN AND SAID HE WOULD DEFEND HIMSELF AGAINST THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT. LAST WEEK THE HOMELAND SECURITY
COMMITTEE RELEASED A REPORT FINDING THE DEPARTMENT AND FBI
ARE NOT ADEQUATELY ADDRESSING DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
WRAY TESTIFIED TO THE THREAT BEFORE THE COMMITTEE LAST YEAR.
>> WE'RE ALSO ENCOUNTERING DOMESTIC VIOLENT EXTREMISTS,
RANGING FROM RACIAL AND ETHNIC BIAS TO ANTI-GOVERNMENT,
ANTI-AUTHORITY SENTIMENT, TO CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
>> Reporter: IN FISCAL YEAR, 2021, THE FBI RECEIVED OVER
8,000 REFERRALS OF POSSIBLE DOMESTIC TERRORISM INCIDENTS BY
LATE 2021, THE FBI WAS CONDUCTING APPROXIMATELY 2,700
INVESTIGATIONS, OF WHICH A SIGNIFICANT PORTION WERE RELATED
TO THE CAPITOL ATTACK ON JANUARY 6th.
>> DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXTREMISM IS A TERRORISM RELATED THREAT TO
THE HOMELAND THAT WE HAVE BEEN TRACKING NOW FOR A CONSIDERABLE
AMOUNT OF TIME. IT'S ONE OF THE GREATEST
TERRORISM RELATED THREATS WE FACE IN THE HOMELAND.
>> Reporter: NOW SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO NOTE, WALTER'S
PARENTS TOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT THEIR SON HAS STRUGGLED
WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH, HE'S BEEN IN AND OUT OF MENTAL HEALTH
INSTITUTIONS. DON, YOU REACTED TO THOSE
NUMBERS WE SHOWED. THE AMOUNT, VOLUME OF CASES THAT
LAW ENFORCEMENT IS DEALING WITH IS OVERWHELMING.
>> IT IS. >> THANK YOU.
>>> I WANT TO BRING IN NOW, JOINING US IS A JOURNALISM
PROFESSOR AT NYU AND HIS RESEARCH FOCUSES ON THE
INTERSECTIONS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMERGING MEDIA.
SO GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS
MORNING. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
PROFESSOR WHY ARE WE OBSESSED WITH FOREIGN TERRORISM AND NOT
DOMESTIC TERRORISM WHEN IT IS THE NUMBER ONE THREAT?
>> I THINK PART OF THIS DOES HAVE TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT
WHAT WE CALL FOREIGN TROEERRORI. THEY'RE NOT LIKE US.
BUT HERE THERE WAS A STUDY THAT SAID WE TEND TO INDIVIDUALIZE
THESE DOMESTIC TERRORIST ACTS ESPECIALLY WHEN THE PEOPLE
THREATENING TEND TO BE WHITE MEN.
WE THINK OF THEM AS INDIVIDUAL INCIDENTS AND NOT PART OF A
LARGER PROBLEM. BUT THERE IS A LARGER PROBLEM.
>> WHY DO WE THINK OF THEM AS INDIVIDUAL NOT A LARGER PROBLEM?
>> IT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION. WHO ARE WE USED TO SEEING AS
THREATS? FROM THE OUTSIDE, WHEN IT'S
PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT LAW
ENFORCEMENT, YOU KNOW, BLACK PEOPLE TO BE HONEST, BUT I DON'T
THINK WE TEND TO THINK ABOUT THESE KINDS OF FOLKS EVEN THE
PEOPLE IN THE CAPITOL RIOTS. THE MILITARY IS CONCERNED
BECAUSE VETERANS ARE BECOMING VULNERABLE TO CONSPIRACY
THEORIES AND INVOLVED IN THESE KINDS OF EVENTS.
>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE REPORT RELEASED BY THE SENATE HOMELAND
SECURITY AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE JUST LAST WEEK SAYS
THAT, YOU KNOW, THE HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT, THE FBI,
SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY, HAVE BASICALLY ALL FAILED TO
ADEQUATELY ADDRESS THIS. IT'S NOT JUST ONE INSTITUTION OR
ONE PRONG. ACROSS THE BOARD.
AND IT'S NOT FOR A LACK OF FUNDING, RIGHT?
>> RIGHT. >> SO WHAT IS IT?
>> I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP THE FUNDING, POPPY.
BECAUSE THERE WAS SORT LIKE $10 MILLION RELEASED FOR FUNDING
BUT IT'S NOT GETTING TO THE RESEARCHERS.
>> TO RESEARCH THE WHY. >> TO RESEARCH THE WHY, WHAT
MAKES PEOPLE TURN TO VIOLENCE IN THESE SITUATIONS.
THERE IS A WAY FORWARD HERE. WE SEE IN THE RESEARCH THAT'S
COME OUT. A RESEARCH BY THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE IN 2015 WHEN PEOPLE BECOME DISCONNECTED
FROM THEIR COMMUNITIES, PEOPLE WHO SEEK ADVENTURE ALL THESE
THINGS PREDICT WHO'S GOING TO DO THIS STUFF.
SO THERE'S A WAY FORWARD. WE HAVE TO START LOOKING FOR THE
THREAT IN THE RIGHT PLACES I THINK.
>> SO MUCH IS LEGITIMIZED BY NOT JUST POLITICAL LEADERS ALSO
BUSINESS LEADERS. LOOK AFTER THE PAUL PELOSI
ATTACK YOU SAW PROMINENT PEOPLE, MAYBE NOT OUTRIGHT SAYING THE
CONSPIRACIES SURROUNDING THAT BUT ELUDING TO THEM.
NOT INCLUDING THE FORMER PRESIDENT, ELON MUSK, ALL THESE
OTHER FIGURES. HOW DOES THAT IMPACT PEOPLE
SAYING MAYBE THIS IS TRUE. >> I'M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT THIS
UP. SOCIAL MEDIA CLEARLY PLAYS A
FACTOR HERE. WE SAW WITH THIS PERSON,
RECENTLY WITH THE THREAT ON THE FBI DIRECTOR HE WAS POSTING
THESE WILD, ABSURD THEORIES ON FACEBOOK.
IF THESE THINGS ARE AUTHORIZED BY POLITICIANS SITTING RIGHT NOW
IN CONGRESS, NO OTHER WAY TO SAY IT WITHIN THEY'RE PLAYING A
GAME, TRYING TO APPEAL TO SOME OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS WHO THEY
THINK MIGHT LIKE THIS AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE REAL.
SOMEONE RAN INTO NANCY PELOSI'S HOME.
I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A COMBINATION OF THESE FACTORS,
BUT AGAIN, WHEN PEOPLE BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM THEIR
COMMUNITIES, WHEN THEY START TO SORT OF, YOU KNOW, BUY INTO THIS
STUFF, THERE ARE REAL WARNING SIGNS AND RESEARCH CAN HELP US
GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS AND FIND A WAY FORWARD.
>> YOU REALIZE THIS IS ALL CONNECTED FROM ELECTION
CONSPIRACIES, RIGHT, TO QANON, TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU
HEAR. A LOT OF THE THINGS YOU HEAR AT
THE MAGA RALLIES. YOU SEE THE HATE THAT'S
HAPPENING IN COLORADO SPRINGS. IT'S ALL CONNECTED, AND YET IT
SEEMS LIKE WE DON'T REALLY WANT TO FACE IT OR WE DON'T KNOW HOW
TO DEAL WITH IT. WHAT IS YOUR -- WHAT DO YOU
THINK OF THAT? >> I THINK YOU'RE SO RIGHT.
IT'S SORT OF -- IT'S KIND OF WEIRD AND ALMOST SEEMS
INCOHERENT, EXCEPT THERE IS A REAL COHERENCE.
WE SEE CERTAIN KINDS OF POLITICIANS PROMOTING IT.
ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS THAT FIRST OF ALL, NOTHING EVER
JUSTIFIES TURNING TO VIOLENCE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.
I THINK THAT'S IN THE LARGER SITUATION OF AMERICA WE HAVE TO
REALIZE THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO GO.
BUT PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO THINK CAPITOL HILL CRITICALLY ABOUT
GOVERNMENT. WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD HAVE
DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS. BUT THESE THINGS AREN'T COMING
FROM PRINCIPLED CRITIQUES OF GOVERNMENT.
IT'S ABSURD FANTASIES. >> WE APPRECIATE YOU, AND PEOPLE
LIKE YOU STUDYING IT. PROFESSOR, THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU. GREAT CONVERSATION.
>> HAPPY THANKSGIVING.