U.S. Government Warns Of Heightened Threat To Midterm Elections From Domestic Extremism

Update to Biden Administration To Issue Bulletin About Threats To Election Infrastructure.

CBS News reports, Government warns of “heightened threat” to 2022 elections, fueled by rise in domestic violent extremism:

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?“

The man who allegedly attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband has been blogging for at least 15 years, with sections for Holocaust denial, climate change denial, transphobia, racism, voter fraud theories, screeds against "pedos," and trashing actress Amber Heard.https://t.co/2WmLh21fz8

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) October 28, 2022

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.

See, Police arrest and name suspect in burglary of Arizona governor candidate Katie Hobbs’ campaign HQ:

The Phoenix Police Department has arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with a break-in at Democratic Arizona gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs’ campaign headquarters earlier this week.

Daniel Mota Dos Reis was booked on one count of third-degree burglary, according to the department.

* * *

Nicole DeMont, who manages Hobbs’ gubernatorial campaign, told CNN in a statement Wednesday that “Secretary Hobbs and her staff have faced hundreds of death threats and threats of violence over the course of this campaign. Throughout this race, we have been clear that the safety of our staff and of the Secretary is our number one priority.”

“Let’s be clear: for nearly two years Kari Lake and her allies have been spreading dangerous misinformation and inciting threats against anyone they see fit,” DeMont continued. “The threats against Arizonans attempting to exercise their constitutional rights and their attacks on elected officials are the direct result of a concerted campaign of lies and intimidation.”

DeMont said that intimidation “won’t work,” and expressed thanks to the Phoenix Police Department for keeping Hobbs and her team safe.

Lake on Wednesday appeared to claim without evidence that Hobbs’ campaign was lying about the motivations behind the incident and said it “sounds like a Jussie Smollett part two,” in reference to the actor who was convicted of making false reports to police that he was the victim of a hate crime in January 2019.

When asked by CNN if she had a response to DeMont’s claim that the incident was a “direct result of concerted campaign of lies and intimidation” by Lake and her allies, the Arizona GOP nominee shot back and said the statement was “absolutely absurd.”

“And are you guys buying that? Are you really buying that? Because this sounds like a Jussie Smollett part two,” Lake said before launching into a lengthy attack on the media.

On Thursday, DeMont shot back in a statement, saying: “Let me be clear, Kari Lake’s preposterous allegation that this break-in was staged is unfounded and her refusal to condemn the threats that have become common in our politics continues to stoke chaos.”

Lake also held an “Emergency Press Conference” Thursday where she criticized reporters and made claims of bias over the media’s coverage of the break-in.

CBS News continues:

“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.

On the same day as this intelligence briefing, a Republican Judge Permits MAGA/QAnon Vigilantes to Continue To Engage in Unlawful Voter Intimidation at Maricopa County drop-box locations. Irresponsible.

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.”

“We will sleep by those drop boxes. I’m rolling out my sleeping bag. We’re not going to let this election be stolen.”

That was Kari Lake on May 31.

From a Tulsa minister to AZ candidates & 45th prez reposting unfounded claims, the roots of drop box watches.

With @PJTobia👇🏼: https://t.co/vwB4169l2O pic.twitter.com/z9Tuuo4E9i

— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) October 28, 2022

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.

The intelligence memo went on to warn that grievances about abortion and LGBTQ+ issues “might be exacerbated in response to a greater focus on these topics prior to the election,” noting that in recent months, domestic violent extremists have “levied violent threats targeting elected officials, individuals associated with abortion or LGBTQ+ issues, and facilities, locations, and organizations perceived as taking a stance on abortion or LGBTQ+ issues.”

The intelligence bulletin also warns that extremists might target state and local government buildings after the election, with potential targets including “officials involved in vote counting or certifications, judicial figures associated with election-related legal challenges, or private companies associated with vote counting.”

Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather at a “Stop the Steal” protest after the 2020 U.S. presidential election was called for Democratic candidate Joe Biden, in front of the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., November 7, 2020.

The memo continued: “Prolonged certification processes could generate increased threats or calls for violence targeting state and local election officials because of potential perceptions of fraud surrounding the results, especially in close or highly contested elections.”

The bulletin notes that post-election violence has led to several prosecutions, including guilty pleas by two Californian extremists in May of 2022, related to plots to firebomb the Democratic party’s state headquarters in Sacramento, following the January 2021 inauguration.

In February 2020, Gregory William Loel Timm, 27, intentionally drove his vehicle into a voter registration tent in Jacksonville, Fla., and was subsequently sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Last June, the Department of Justice (DOJ) established the “Threats to Election Workers Task Force” in response to an uptick in threats targeting election workers. While the task force has only delivered eight arrests and one conviction so far, as of June 2022, the Justice Department and FBI had reviewed over 1,000 communications reported as abusive, harassing, or intimidating – deeming 11% met federal criteria for further investigative action. According to the FBI’s assessment, “While many of the communications reviewed by the FBI and DOJ appear to stem from perceptions of voter fraud, the communications are not specific to any single ideology or group.”

Earlier this month, Nebraska man, Travis Ford, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for making online threats against Colorado’s top elections official, marking the first guilty plea obtained by the government task force.

The FBI has determined the majority of future threats to election workers in 2022 are “likely to occur in states or counties where recounts, audits, or public election disputes occur,” according to the bulletin.

Following the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, the Department of Justice has charged more than 870 individuals for alleged criminal activity at the U.S. Capitol.