#WashingtonDC view of domestic extremists

"The current manifestation of these movements is so insidious bcs while in the past they existed on the fringes of society they are becoming rapidly a part of the cultural mainstream" @DC_HSEMA Dir Christopher Rodriguez tells lawmakers

"These movements are fueled & fed by misinformation & lies that if not addressed will only continue to exacerbate our underlying social divisions" per @DC_HSEMA's Rodriguez

"We must regain the narrative" per @DC_HSEMA's Rodriguez

#WashingtonDC "We will not tolerate violence in our city & we will call such acts what they are in accordance w/the law - crimes & terrorism"

"Our foreign adversaries, #Russia in particular, are deploying decades-old tools of covert action to fan the flames of cultural conflict here in the US... false narratives that strike at the heart of democracy itself" per @DC_HSEMA's Rodriguez

NEW: "We must demonstrate an overt security presence in [Washington] DC, at least for now" per @DC_HSEMA's Rodriguez

@MayorBowser has requested 500 DC Nat'l Guard to remain on standby as a quick reax force through March 12, he says

"We also believe we can achieve security in our city, & specifically on #CapitolHill, without making permanent the current razor-wire top fencing & armed troops surround the Capitol" per @DC_HSEMA's Rodriguez

"We must leverage out nat'l intelligence network better"per @DC_HSEMA's Rodriguez

State fusion centers must be utilized in a more systematic way, he says

"These intelligence hubs need to do better at sharing information across the network"

"We need to prioritize insider threat programs in the Us military & law enforcement" @DC_HSEMA's Rodriguez tells lawmakers, noting number of individuals who took part in the Jan 6 siege of the #USCapitol who had military training/experience

"We must be prepared for a long fight" adds @DC_HSEMA's Rodriguez

But key to success is "ours - yours & mine - as well as the American people's willingness to persist in the fight" vs domestic extremists

"There is a high likelihood of violence in the coming months on a range of soft targets" @NeuSummits Elizabeth Neumann, a former asst Secretary for Counterterrorism &Threat Prevention tells House Homeland Security Committee

re domestic extremists

Likely targets for domestic extremists include infrastructure & mainstream media, law enforcement, big tech & elected officials - due to perceived connections to the 'deep state', per @NeuSummits

"Sadly, I do believe that we will be fighting domestic terrorism that has its roots & inspiration points from Jan. 6 for the next 10-20 years" per @NeuSummits

"I urge that at a minimum we change our laws to ensure equal justice, treating threats from ideologies that originate overseas and within the #UnitedStates the same" per @NeuSummits

. @NeuSummits also calls for accelerating prevention efforts and funding to take on extremism

"White supremacy has experienced a terrifying resurgence" partly because "leaders at the highest levels who have repeated their rhetoric, coopted their conspiracies & whether intentional or not, given extremists the green light" @JGreenblattADL warns lawmakers

The other factor - "You can find hate 24/7 with just a few clicks on your phone" per @JGreenblattADL

"Indeed, what happened at the #USCapitol was the most predictable terror attack in American history" @JGreenblattADL tells House Homeland Security Committee

Calls it a "watershed moment" for the white supremacist movement in the US

"For them, the sight of Congressmen & women cowering under tables, Confederate flags and Nazi symbols being paraded through the building was nothing short of a victory" - @JGreenblattADL on white supremacist view of January 6 siege of the #USCapitol

US needs to counter white supremacists domestically and around the world, per @JGreenblattADL

"Make no mistake - this movement is a global threat"

. @RANDCorporation's Brian Michael Jenkins tells lawmakers to be wary of new domestic terrorism statutes, saying id'ing groups could become a "contentious" political distraction

"Avoid the terrorism as much as possible & base prosecutions on existing criminal offenses"

Stooping domestic extremists could prove "far more difficult" than stopping homegrown jihadists, per @RANDCorporation's Brian Michael Jenkins

"They are better organized...recent actions have given them the opportunity to expand their networks"

"They are better armed" per @RANDCorporation's Jenkins "Some have military or police experience"

"Programs at preventing radicalization will provoke greater resistance" he adds

Impact of former President Donald Trump's words on white supremacists was real

"We're monitoring them on @Facebook & @twitter" & Signal & Telegram, per @JGreenblattADL "They were saying, we feel emboldened...The Proud Boys were saying, 'Reporting for duty, sir'"

Not just about the US president, per @JGreenblattADL

"It could the president of the local PTA, but ppl in positions of authority need to clearly & consistently call out disinformation, extremism & hate"

For Jan. 6, "We were getting information from them [ @FBIWFO] about the potential for violence" per @DC_HSEMA Dir Rodriguez, who says that was shared with US Capitol Police

White supremacists in military, law enforcement "This has been a known problem, for decades" per @NeuSummits

. @DeptofDefense, major law enforcement departments have the ability to address domestic extremists in their ranks, per @RANDCorporation's Brian Michael Jenkins

"To get some of the smaller police departments in various parts of the country to do this is a much bigger challenge"

#USCapitol security - "We do not agree that the current security at the Capitol is something that should be maintained permanently" per @DC_HSEMA Dir Christopher Rodriguez

"It is the people's house & we need to make sure the citizens it serves have access to it"