Friend,
After yesterday's second in a series of hearings by the
bipartisan House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021,
insurrection
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, I am more optimistic that the compelling evidence documented by the
committee over the past 11 months will break through and capture the
public's attention.
These hearings are an essential step toward transparency,
accountability and real consequences for the planners and perpetrators
of the Capitol assault - and those who inspired and funded their
activities. But we must complement the committee's crucial work
with our own.
Here's what we know.
First, the violent insurrection at the Capitol was not the beginning.
Former President Trump and his allies declared their intent to deny
the results well before Election Day and carried out that intention
with full knowledge that they had lost. The lies of a stolen election,
the extremist ideologies and the conspiracy theories that fueled the
attack were the culmination of a months-long, coordinated strategy by
Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election and steal the
presidency.
Second, the attack on the Capitol was not the end. The events of Jan.
6 and the concerted efforts to overturn the 2020 election were a
prelude to efforts to undermine the 2024 elections. Trump and his
allies continue to wage a disinformation campaign designed to sabotage
future elections.
Trump's allies in state legislatures have enacted dozens of
racially discriminatory voter suppression laws. And across the
country, right-wing lawyers have been working to gerrymander state
redistricting maps to reduce representation for Black and Brown
communities and allow partisan politicians - not voters -
to control election outcomes.
Dozens of election deniers are running for state offices that have
direct authority to supervise elections and certify final election
results. Subverting free and fair elections by sowing distrust and
expanding partisan poll watchers' ability to harass and
intimidate voters is undemocratic.
Third, we know that far-right extremist groups played a significant
role in the violence.
The SPLC has met with committee staff and submitted written testimony
documenting the involvement of extremists in the planning and
preparation for the insurrection. The committee spent its first night
focusing on the violence at the Capitol, conspiracy theories about
electoral fraud and alleged coordination between Trump, his allies and
two extremist groups the SPLC has tracked for years.
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The committee presented testimony
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regarding the participation and cooperation of the Proud Boys
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- one of the most violent extremist groups in the U.S. at the
time of the insurrection - and the antigovernment extremist Oath
Keepers
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. According to the committee, their goal was to stop the peaceful
transfer of power through violence and intimidation, allowing Trump to
remain in power despite losing the election.
SPLC Intelligence Project Senior Research Analyst Cassie Miller
provided the committee with testimony
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regarding the Proud Boys' violent history. The Department of
Justice has charged
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Oath Keeper founder Stewart Rhodes
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and 10 other Oath Keepers with seditious conspiracy
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. The DOJ also charged
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Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio and four of his
lieutenants with sedition.
Fourth, we know the threat of political violence has increased.
According to a poll
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jointly conducted by the SPLC and Tulchin Research, the mainstreaming
of hate and antigovernment thought and the willingness to engage in
political violence is now widely accepted on the right.
The survey found that:
* Over three-quarters of those who believe the 2020 presidential
election was "fraudulent, rigged and illegitimate"
also at least somewhat agree with the racist and antisemitic
"great replacement" conspiracy theory that liberals
are intentionally replacing conservative white voters with
people of color - the same conspiracy theory cited by the
man who killed 10 Black people in Buffalo, New York, last month.
* Forty-one percent of Republicans agreed with the statement that
"some violence might be necessary to protect the country
from radical extremists." Over half of Republicans also
said they believed the country is headed toward a civil war.
* The poll also found 70% of Republicans believe the government
has become "tyrannical." Partisanship is also high.
Republicans ranked the Democratic Party as the "most
pressing" threat to U.S. democracy, while Democrats ranked
Trump and the Republicans as second and third after Russian
President Vladimir Putin.
What we must do together
The ongoing threat to our democracy and democratic institutions is
clear. The Capitol attack underscores the urgent need to pass
legislation to protect our democratic election procedures and to
combat hate, extremism and misinformation.
Here's what has to happen:
* We must support and help elevate the vital work of the select
committee.
* Congress must protect the right to vote. With essential voting
rights legislation now blocked due to Senate Republican
obstruction, the Department of Justice must use its authority to
challenge discriminatory anti-voting laws. And activists and
grassroots organizations must engage in the fight to protect and
advance voting rights through every tool we have in our
communities.
* We must protect frontline election workers, the key to the
administration of free and fair elections. Congress must address
this rise in the fear of political violence against voters and
poll workers by sharply increasing state funding for election
administration to advance a safe and secure electoral process.
* Congress must enact legislation to raise the threshold for
challenging Electoral College votes and clarify the vice
president's role in the process as exclusively
ministerial, with no authority to overturn election results.
Congress must also pass legislation to address the erosion of
the Voting Rights Act and other reforms to strengthen our
democracy.
* We must step up our advocacy urging the Biden administration to
fulfill the promise of its June 2021 National Strategy for
Countering Domestic Terrorism
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- especially Pillar 4 of the blueprint, which describes
the need to address long-term contributors to extremism by
"rooting out racism and bigotry and advancing equity for
all Americans."
* We must fund prevention initiatives to steer individuals away
from hate and ideologically motivated violence. Stopping
extremism in our country must be a holistic effort involving not
just law enforcement, but also parents, caregivers and
educators. In partnership with American University's
Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL),
we are developing new approaches to countering radicalization
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that start from a public health perspective, instead of a
national security lens.
* We must ensure that everyone - and especially young people
- are taught critical thinking skills and digital literacy
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so they can fend off misinformation, disinformation and online
radicalization.
* We must promote online safety and hold tech and social media
companies accountable. Tech companies must develop - and
enforce - terms of service and policies to ensure that
social media platforms, payment service providers and other
internet-based services do not enable the funding or amplifying
of white supremacist ideas or provide a safe haven for
extremists promoting disinformation or planning political
violence.
No one is above the law in a democracy. The committee's hearings
provide an essential opportunity to prove that the Jan. 6 attack on
American democracy and the ongoing effort to sabotage future elections
will not succeed - and that the right of the people to choose
their own leaders will prevail.
Sincerely,
Margaret Huang
SPLC President and CEO
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