The threat of domestic violent extremists has been growing, it’s time we combat it

We should have known it could come to this. An anonymous Republican official was quoted on Nov. 9, 2020, three days after the presidential election took place, stating, “What is the downside for humoring [Trump] for this little bit of time?” On Jan. 6, 2021, five people lost their lives. A Capitol police officer was killed. More than 140 officers became injured, one lost an eye, and others lost fingers, incurred brain damage, were stabbed, punched, and beaten with the American flag.

When violent protesters surrounded the homes of election officials in Georgia, we should have known. When militia members were arrested by the FBI for plotting to kidnap and kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, we should have known. When an avid Trump supporter sent pipe bombs in 2018 to former presidents, senators, members of the intelligence community, political activists, and media outlets, we should have known.

Our country’s history with domestic extremism did not start on Jan. 6, 2021 with the Capitol insurrection. President Trump wasn’t the first person in our history who sought to weaponize fanaticism in an attempt to intimidate elected officials. And QAnon isn’t the first conspiracy to prompt violence in this country. But in the age of social media and instant communication, we need to recognize that disinformation and malign influence are more pervasive and effective in radicalizing people than ever before.

As a nation, we need to grapple with the reality that domestic extremists, who were radicalized online, live among us as our neighbors, co-workers, and even family and friends. Collectively, we need to open our eyes to the warning signs that we have ignored for so long. Rep. Joe Neguse stated on the second day of the impeachment trial that the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was “a carefully planned months-long effort.” Rioters did not spontaneously arrive in Washington. They were encouraged and directed online for months.

Congress needs to investigate and hold hearings on how we got to this point and how we turn back the tide of online radicalization. We also need to understand the scope of foreign influence, funding, and interference in these occurrences of extremist violence. Hostile powers such as Russia have amplified extremists online to sow divisions in our society. President Trump and his enablers incited the insurrection on Jan. 6, but the intelligence community has warned that foreign intelligence services frequently work to amplify divisive events such as the riots. We also know that a number of influencers who promoted the riots received cryptocurrency payments ahead of the event, and in some cases this financial support may have come from foreign sources.

President Biden was elected on a platform of bringing our country together and healing the wounds of the last four years, but regardless of our success in moving forward together as a country, we live in an age of new threats on the margins of society from online radicalization, both foreign and domestic. Those threats demand a new commitment to rooting out domestic violent extremism, both online and in person, and to hold accountable all those who sponsor and instigate it, whether here at home, or from abroad.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, represents the 8th District of Illinois.