STEUBE: Democrats Refuse to Acknowledge Widespread Antifa Violence as Domestic Terrorism Despite Overwhelming Evidence
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today questioned witnesses at the House Judiciary Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on domestic terrorism in America.
“Today, in a hearing entitled the Rise of Domestic Terrorism in America, all I heard from Democrats and their witnesses was white supremacy and far-right extremism, while completely ignoring the riots, destruction and violence of Antifa we have seen since last year,” Steube said. “All forms of domestic terrorism are criminal, but in order to properly address the threats, we need to talk about all types of domestic terrorism, including Antifa. Instead, the Democrats have chosen to either ignore, condone or even embrace Antifa.”
Democrats politicized this hearing by focusing their efforts solely on what they called right-wing domestic terrorism and ignoring the various other domestic terrorist groups from other ideologies.
Last summer, Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM) violence plagued many states across the United States during which rioting, looting, arson, and other forms of violence took place. It is estimated that these riots caused up to $2 billion in damages in more than 20 states across the country. This violence included physical attacks on members of law enforcement with nearly 400 New York Police Department (NYPD) officers injured over two weeks of riots in New York alone.
Despite nationwide organized violence, prominent House Democrats have called Antifa a “false issue” and a “myth.” Others have even acknowledged their existence and defended the violent mob.
The term “domestic terrorism” is defined under Federal Law as: “involving acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State and appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping…”
When Steube asked each Democrat witness whether the organized rioting, arson, looting, and deadly violence from Antifa met this definition, they either refused to answer the question or even called it “civil disobedience.”
In addition, several elected Democrat officials have even fed into the divisive rhetoric they chose to condemn.
Steube’s full remarks can be found here or below.
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