An "Unjection™".
>>> WHILE THE HOUSE JUDICIARY An "Unjection™".
>>> WHILE THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MOVES FORWARD WITH ITS
INVESTIGATIONS INTO DONALD
TRUMP, IT’S ALSO TAKING ON AN
ISSUE THE PRESIDENT REFUSES TO
TALK ABOUT, THE THREAT OF WHITE
NATIONALISM.
NATIONALISM. THE DAILY BEAST REPORTS THAT THE
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE WILL
HOLD A HEARING IN THE COMING
WEEKS TO ADDRESS THE RISE IN
WHITE NATIONALISM AND HATE
CRIMES IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT COMES JUST DAYS
AFTER THE ATTACK ON MUSLIMS IN
NEW ZEALAND THAT KILLED 50
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. THE NEW ZEALAND MOSQUE SHOOTER
PRAISED TRUMP IN HIS MANIFESTO
AS, QUOTE, A SYMBOL OF RENEWED
WHITE IDENTITY AND COMMON
PURPOSE.
PURPOSE. THE SHOOTER DISPARAGED
IMMIGRANTS AS AN INVASION,
LANGUAGE TRUMP HAS FREQUENTLY
USED AND TRUMP USED ON FRIDAY
WHILE DOWNPLAYING THE THREAT
POSED BY WHITE SUPREMACISTS.
THIS MORNING TRUMP TWEETED,
QUOTE, THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA IS
WORKING OVERTIME TO BLAME ME FOR
THE HORRIBLE ATTACK IN NEW
ZEALAND.
ZEALAND. SO RIDICULOUS.
SO RIDICULOUS. BUT DAVID LEONHARDT ROAN IN "THE
NEW YORK TIMES," QUOTE, TRUMP
DOESN’T DESERVE TO BE BLAMED FOR
ANY SPECIFIC CRIME, BUT HE DOES
DESERVE BLAME FOR THE TREND.
IT ISN’T VERY COMPLICATED.
THE MAN WITH THE WORLD’S LARGEST
BULLY PULPIT, KEEPS ENCOURAGING
VIOLENCE IN WHITE NATIONALISM.
LO AND BEHOLD, WHITE NATIONALIST
VIOLENCE IS ON THE RISE.
YOU HAVE TO WORK PRETTY HARD TO
PERSUADE YOURSELF THAT’S JUST A
BIG COINCIDENCE.
BIG COINCIDENCE. USA TODAY REPORTS THAT SOME
HUMAN RIGHTS LEADERS ARE
CONCERNED THAT THE UNITED STATES
IS EXPORTING EXTREMISM BY
INSPIRING A GLOBAL TREND OF
HATRED FUELLED BY XENOPHOBIC
ETHNONATIONALISTIC AND
ETHNONATIONALISTIC AND ANTI-IMMIGRANT FEELINGS.
ANTI-IMMIGRANT FEELINGS. AND THERE IS GROWING CONCERN
ABOUT WHITE NATIONALISM IN THE
U.S. MILITARY.
U.S. MILITARY. AN INVESTIGATION BY "HUFFINGTON
POST" REVEALED THAT, QUOTE,
LEAKED CHAT LOGS HAVE CONNECTED
SEVEN CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE
U.S. ARMED FORCES TO A WHITE
NATIONALIST GROUP.
NATIONALIST GROUP. AND IN 2017 POLL CONDUCTED BY
THE MILITARY TIMES FOUND THAT
NEARLY 25% OF SERVICE MEMBERS
SURVEYED SAID THEY HAD
ENCOUNTERED WHITE NATIONALISTS
WITHIN THEIR RANKS.
THAT POLL FOUND THAT 30% OF
TROOPS SAID THEY SAW WHITE
NATIONALISM AS A BIGGER THREAT
TO NATIONAL SECURITY THAN THE
WARS IN SYRIA, AFGHANISTAN, AND
IRAQ.
IRAQ. BUT DONALD TRUMP HAS ACTUALLY
CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FROM GROUPS
TASKED WITH COMBATTING RIGHT
WING EXTREMISM.
WING EXTREMISM. THIS IS TRUE.
HE DID SO AFTER FAILING TO
CONDEMN NEO-NAZIS IN
CHARLOTTESVILLE.
CHARLOTTESVILLE. STILL, WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS
DEFENDED THE PRESIDENT.
>> HE HAS DENOUNCED BIGOTRY MANY
TIMES, AND I WOULDN’T BE WORKING
HERE IF I BELIEVED OTHERWISE.
>> YOU’VE SEEN THE PRESIDENT
STAND UP FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY,
INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES.
INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES. THE PRESIDENT IS NOT A WHITE
SUPREMACIST.
SUPREMACIST. I’M NOT SURE HOW MANY TIMES WE
HAVE TO SAY THAT.
>> JOINING US NOW AS A MEMBER OF
THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
FRESHMAN JONAH GUZMA.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, ALI.
>> HOW DO WE GO FORWARD WITH
THIS?
THIS? THIS IS A STRANGE MOMENT IN
AMERICAN HISTORY WHERE WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
ENCOURAGES OR AT LEAST DOESN’T
DISCOURAGE THE GROWTH OF WHITE
NATIONALISM AND WHITE SUPREMACY.
>> WELL, I THINK WE GO FORWARD
BY HAVING CONVERSATIONS JUST
LIKE THIS ONE.
MUCH OF WHAT YOU DESCRIBED
OBVIOUSLY IS DEEPLY CONCERNING
TO ME AS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN, AS
A SON OF IMMIGRANTS, AND AS A
UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN.
I SPENT THIS WEEKEND VISITING
WITH FOLKS HERE IN BOULDER.
I WAS AT THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF
THE LOCAL MOSQUE HERE YESTERDAY
WITH OVER 600 PEOPLE AS WE
GATHERED TO GRIEVE TOGETHER OVER
THE LIVES LOST IN NEW ZEALAND,
AND TO HAVE SOME IMPORTANT
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW WE CAN
UNITE TOGETHER AND LOVE ONE
ANOTHER AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
I WILL TELL YOU THERE WERE
PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS AND ALL
BACKGROUNDS GATHERED IN THAT
ROOM.
ROOM. THE UNITY WAS REALLY PALPABLE.
I WISH THAT WE HAD A PRESIDENT
THAT WOULD EXPRESS THOSE SAME
SENTIMENTS, OF COURSE, AS YOU
HAVE OUTLINED.
HAVE OUTLINED. WE UNFORTUNATELY DO NOT.
>> CONGRESSMAN, AFTER
CHARLOTTESVILLE THE PRESIDENT
ULTIMATELY DID SAY NEO-NAZIS ARE
NOT GOOD.
NOT GOOD. I KEEP WONDERING WHEN HE WAS
ASSOCIATED WHICH THIS SHOOTER IN
NEW ZEALAND WITH THE SHOOTER IN
NEW ZEALAND, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THE
PRESIDENT WHO HAVE SAID ANY ONE
OF 100 THINGS DISASSOCIATING
HIMSELF FROM IT.
BUT HE DIDN’T DO THAT.
HE DOWNPLAYED THAT.
I SUSPECT IF SOMEONE TIED YOU TO
A CRIME, YOU’D GO OUT OF YOUR
WAY TO CLEAR YOUR NAME, IF YOU
COULD.
COULD. >> YEAH, CERTAINLY.
AND AS YOU SAID, AGAIN, IT’S NOT
A HARD CALL TO BE ABLE TO
ULTIMATELY CALL THIS FOR WHAT IT
WAS AND TO DENOUNCE IT.
AND IT’S UNFORTUNATE THAT THE
PRESIDENT CHOSE NOT TO DO THAT.
CLEARLY I THINK YOU SEE PEOPLE
OF ALL -- IN MANY WAYS,
POLITICAL FAITHS AS WELL.
I’LL BE CANDID WITH YOU, ALI.
PLENTY OF DEMOCRATS AND
REPUBLICANS WHOM I’VE TALKED TO
OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST FEW
DAYS WHO WERE TERRIBLY UPSET AND
MOURNED WHAT HAPPENED IN NEW
ZEALAND.
ZEALAND. SO I JUST, AGAIN, REGRET THAT
THE WHITE HOUSE REFUSES TO PLAY
A LEADERSHIP ROLE ON THIS FRONT.
>> HOWEVER, AMERICA CAN MOVE
FORWARD REGARDLESS WHETHER THE
WHITE HOUSE PLAYS A LEADERSHIP
ROLE.
ROLE. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
HOLDING HEARINGS ON WHITE
NATIONALISM?
NATIONALISM? >> YOU KNOW, I DON’T.
THAT WAS THE FIRST THAT I HAD
HEARD OF IT WAS YOU MENTIONING
IT HERE ON THE SEGMENT TONIGHT.
I DON’T KNOW THAT I’VE RECEIVED
ANY KIND OF FORMAL NOTICE THAT
THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE IS GOING
TO HOLD THAT KIND OF HEARING
THERE CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN
LETTERS OF INQUIRY, LETTERS OF
PROTEST FROM VARIETY OF MEMBERS
OF JUDICIARY AND OTHER MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS TO ARRIVE AT OTHER
FEDERAL AGENCIES MAKING CLEAR
THEIR DESIRE FOR MORE ACTION ON
THIS FRONT GIVEN THE TREND LINES
WHICH ARE VERY CLEAR.
WHETHER OR NOT ULTIMATELY A
HEARING TAKES PLACE IN THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE OR ANOTHER
COMMITTEE OF JURISDICTION, SAY
THE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE,
CLEARLY THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE
GOING TO BE HAPPENING IN
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. AND FRANKLY, THEY’RE HAPPENING
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THEY’RE HAPPENING AROUND DINNER
TABLES, AROUND KITCHEN TABLES,
IN LIVING ROOMS AND IN COFFEE
SHOPS AND IN BOARD ROOMS.
AND IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THOSE
DISCUSSIONS TO HAPPEN.
>> SO WHAT ROLE, THEN AS A
MEMBER OF CONGRESS AND/OR AS A
MEMBER OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE, DO YOU THINK THIS IS
A ROLE FOR CONGRESS?
THIS IS SERIOUS.
THE NUMBERS ARE VERY CLEAR.
I JUST WANT TO QUOTE FROM AN NBC
ARTICLE THAT HAS INFORMATION ON
THE EXTREMISM, WHITE EXTREMISM.
THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE SAID
DOMESTIC EXTREMISTS KILLED AT
LEAST 50 PEOPLE IN THE UNITED
STATES IN 2018, UP FROM 37 IN
2017.
2017. WHITE SUPREMACISTS WERE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GREAT
MAJORITY OF THE KILLINGS, WHICH
IS TYPICALLY THE CASE.
THE GROUP WROTE BETWEEN 2008 AND
2016, FAR RIGHT PLOTS AND TAKES
OUTNUMBERED ISLAMIST INCIDENTS
INSPIRED BY GROUPS SUCH AS ISIS
BY ALMOST TWO TO ONE.
THE NUMBER OF HATE GROUPS
OPERATING ACROSS AMERICA ALSO.
>> Reporter: TO A RECORD HIGH OF
1,020 IN 2018, ACCORDING TO THE
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER.
THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN
2019 THAT THIS IS HAPPENING.
>> I COULDN’T AGREE MORE.
AND OBVIOUSLY THE EMPIRICAL DATA
YOU OUTLINED IS DAYTONA BEACHLY
SOBERS.
SOBERS. I THINK THERE IS ROLE FOR
CONGRESS IN ITS OVERSIGHT
RESPONSIBILITIES.
RESPONSIBILITIES. I SUSPECT THE HOMELAND SECURITY
AND THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE OR
THE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE
AS WELL, I SUSPECT WILL BE
TAKING A DEEPER LOOK TO MAKE
SURE THAT THE FEDERAL AGENCIES
THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR
PREVENTING DOMESTIC TERRORISM
AND PROSECUTION OF HATE CRIMES
AND SO FORTH, THAT THEY ARE WELL
RESOURCED AND THAT THEY’RE
TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY.
BECAUSE CLEARLY, GIVEN THE DATA
AND THE TREND LINES, IT’S
SOMETHING THAT WE ALL OUGHT TO
BE TALKING ABOUT AND ACTING ON.