>>> SINCE THE JANUARY 6th
INSURRECTION, AUTHORITIES AROUND
THE COUNTRY HAVE CHARGED MORE
THAN 400 PEOPLE IN CONNECTION
WITH THEIR ACTIONS THAT DAY AT
THE CAPITOL.
AND DESPITE THE FRACTURING OF
RIGHT-WING EXTREMIST GROUPS LIKE
THE OATH KEEPERS AND PROUD BOYS,
EXPERTS ARE STILL CONCERNED THAT
WE’RE HEADING TOWARD A DANGEROUS
AND TENUOUS NEXT FEW YEARS.
EXPERTS TOLD THE "DAILY BEAST"
THAT WE COULD EXPECT MORE
VIOLENCE BY RADICALS DURING THE
BIDEN PRESIDENCY BECAUSE THEY’VE
GROWN ANGRIER AND MORE RESOLVED
IN THEIR EFFORTS.
QUOTE, WHILE WE’RE UNLIKELY TO
SEE A MASS EVENT LIKE JANUARY
6th THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER 10,000
PEOPLE AT THE CAPITOL, THERE
COULD BE MORE LOCAL ATTACKS ON A
SMALLER BUT MAYBE MORE LETHAL
SCALE, CAR RAMMINGS,
ASSASSINATION PLOTS AND BOMBINGS
OF STATE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS,
INFRASTRUCTURE, OR PLACES WHERE
ORDINARY FOLKS GATHER.
AND THE DISSOLUTION OF THESE
EXTREMIST GROUPS MAY MAKE IT
HARDER FOR AUTHORITIES TO KEEP
TABS ON THEIR PLANS.
QUOTE, THE FBI CAN MORE EASILY
INFILTRATE AN ORGANIZATION LIKE
THE OATH KEEPERS, WHICH DRAWS
MEMBERS FROM THE MILITARY AND
LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT WITH GROUPS
LIKE THE PROUD BOYS SPLINTERING,
ROGUE MEMBERS ARE HARDER TO
MONITOR.
NETWORKS THAT BREAK UP CAN
REALIGN UNDER SO MANY DIFFERENT
NAMES THAT IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO
KEEP TRACK.
JOINING OUR CONVERSATION, CLINT
WATTS, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT,
DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH FELLOW AT
THE FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH
INSTITUTE AND AN MSNBC NATIONAL
SECURITY ANALYST, AND A.C.
THOMPSON, PBS FRONTLINE
CORRESPONDENT AND PROPUBLICA
REPORTER.
IF YOU THINK IT SOUNDS SCARY AND
OMINOUS AND WE’RE JUST LEARNING
ABOUT THIS VERY REAL NEW NORMAL
WHERE DOMESTIC VIOLENT EXTREMISM
IS A FAR GREATER THREAT -- I
GUESS IT’S NOT THAT NEW TO
PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERTS IN ANY
FORM OF FOREIGN TERRORISM.
IT’S PRETTY DAUNTING TO HEAR
THAT IT’S ABOUT TO GET WORSE.
>> YEAH, I THINK THAT’S A
DISTINCT POSSIBILITY, AND ALL
ALONG, OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS,
THE THING THAT I HAVE BEEN
CONCERNED ABOUT HAS BEEN THE
POTENTIAL FOR ACTS OF MASS
CASUALTY VIOLENCE, SO BOMBINGS,
CAR ATTACKS, THAT SORT OF THING,
AND I THINK WE SHOULD BE ALL NOT
PARAKNOWIC,
PARA
PARANOID BUT WE NEED TO BE
VIGILANT ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR
THAT TYPE OF ACTION.
>> A.C., WHAT DOES THAT LOOK
LIKE?
AFTER 9/11, IT WAS IF YOU SEE
SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING.
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE WHEN IT
HAS SUCH A DIFFERENT CONNOTATION
AS A DOMESTIC THREAT?
>> RIGHT.
I MEAN, I THINK THE GOOD WORK
THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW IS THE
MEDIA NEEDS TO BE COVERING THIS
AND THE MEDIA’S BEEN MUCH
STRONGER, MUCH BETTER ABOUT
COVERING THIS.
WE NEED LAW ENFORCEMENT TO STEP
UP, AND I THINK WE’VE SEEN A LOT
OF THAT, BUT ALSO, WE NEED
PEOPLE WHO THEY ARE SEEING
CONCERNING BEHAVIOR FROM THEIR
FAMILY MEMBERS.
IF THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS ARE
LURKING ONLINE IN EXTREMIST CHAT
ROOMS, TALKING ABOUT BLOWING
THINGS UP, TALKING ABOUT KILLING
PEOPLE, THEY NEED TO GO TO THE
AUTHORITIES.
THEY NEED TO GO TO THE SOCIAL
MEDIA PLATFORMS AND THEY NEED TO
MAKE SURE THAT SOMETHING IS
DONE, AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT
HASN’T ALWAYS HAPPENED.
>> A.C., HOW DO YOU -- THIS IS A
DUMB QUESTION, BUT HOW DO YOU
COVER THESE GROUPS?
>> YOU KNOW, FOR ME, I’VE
COVERED THEM IN TWO DIFFERENT
WAYS.
I’VE COVERED THEM BY SPENDING
TIME WITH THE MEMBERS OF THESE
GROUPS AND TALKING TO THEM,
WHETHER FROM PRISON.
I INTERVIEWED ONE OF THE MEMBERS
OF THE KIDNAPPING PLOT IN THE
GRETCHEN WHITMER MICHIGAN
KIDNAPPING PLOT, ONE OF THE MEN
ACCUSED OF TRYING TO KIDNAP THE
GOVERNOR THERE.
BUT ALSO BY LOOKING AT THEIR
CRIMINAL RECORDS, LOOKING AT
WHAT THEY LEAVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA,
LOOKING AT THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T
WANT TO TALK AND WANT TO REMAIN
IN THE SHADOWS WHO ARE CONNECTED
TO VIOLENT ACTIONS, AND I THINK
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT GET --
COMES THROUGH WITH THESE GROUPS
IS MANY OF THEM ARE NOT -- THEY
HAVEN’T BEEN CHASTENED BY WHAT
HAPPENED.
THEY HAVEN’T BEEN -- THEY’RE NOT
RETREATING AFTER THE CAPITOL
SIEGE AND SOOINSINSURRECTION.
MANY OF THEM ARE MORE DEDICATED
THAN EVER.
THEY’RE MORE RADICALIZED THAN
EVER AND MORE SORT OF BENT ON
POTENTIALLY VIOLENT ACTION.
SO, THAT’S WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU
TALK TO THESE PEOPLE.
THERE’S REPORTING MY COLLEAGUES
ARE DOING THAT WILL COME OUT
SOON THAT DEFINITELY IS GOING TO
SUGGEST AT LEAST SOME OF THE
DEFENDANTS IN THE CAPITOL SIEGE