Less than two weeks before the 2022 elections, the U.S. government is warning of a "heightened threat" to the midterm contests, fueled by a rise in domestic violent extremism, or DVE, and driven by ideological grievances and access to potential targets, according to a joint intelligence bulletin obtained by CBS News.
"Potential targets of DVE violence include candidates running for public office, elected officials, election workers, political rallies, political party representatives, racial and religious minorities, or perceived ideological opponents," the bulletin, published Friday, stated.
The bulletin was issued on the same day that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband was violently attacked by a man who broke into their home and demanded, "Where's Nancy? Where's Nancy?"
According to the memo distributed to law enforcement partners nationwide Friday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FBI, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) predict that "violence will largely be dependent on drivers such as personalized ideological grievances and the accessibility of potential targets throughout the election cycle." Intelligence analysts assess that the "most plausible" threat ahead of Election Day comes from "lone offenders who leverage election-related issues to justify violence," with many individuals still amplifying false narratives of fraud that date back to the 2020 general election.
Analysts cautioned that government officials and personnel, "including candidates in the midterm election and officials involved in administering elections," will likely remain "attractive targets" to those motivated by debunked claims of election fraud that have spread online. U.S. Capitol Police have reported a "sharp increase" of threats against members of Congress in recent years and notably documented 9,600 direct or indirect threats in 2021 alone.
"We assess some [domestic violent extremists] motivated by election-related grievances would likely view election-related infrastructure, personnel, and voters involved in the election process as attractive targets — including at publicly accessible locations like polling places, ballot drop-box locations, voter registration sites, campaign events, and political party offices," the bulletin warns.
Their aim, the bulletin suggests, would be to try to discredit the elections: "DVEs could target components of the election infrastructure in hopes of swaying voting habits, undermining perceptions of the legitimacy of the voting process, or prompting a particular government reaction."
And it goes on to note that the places where people vote could be targeted for attacks "because they prioritize accessibility to maximize exposure to potential voters, making them vulnerable to simple, easy-to-use weapons, like firearms, vehicles, edged weapons, and incendiary devices, which DVEs have used in the past."
"Some [domestic violent extremists], particularly anti-government and anti-authority violent extremists and racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists motivated by differing perceptions of issues like government overreach, firearms regulation, and immigration policy, will potentially view social and political tensions during the upcoming midterm election as an opportunity to use or promote violence in furtherance of their ideological goals," the bulletin noted.
I'd say this was an unprecedented threat to America, but January 6th made it abundantly clear what precedent is now for Republicans and election violence. Frankly, this is a warning that should have sent months ago, with federal law enforcement and Justice Department task forces in place in Republican states well before now.
MAGA terrorist violence over the days and weeks ahead is almost guaranteed at this point. The only question is how bad the bill will be when it comes due.
Vote early if you can, and be careful on Tuesday the 8th.
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