Homeland Security head names white supremacists and Russia as most dangerous threats to US

At least 110 people have died in right-wing, often white supremacist acts of domestic terror since 2001

Acting US Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf unveiled the results of the department's first annual homeland threat assessment, revealing that right-wing white supremacist groups remain the most dangerous threat to domestic security.  

"As Secretary, I am concerned about any form of violent extremism," Mr Wolf wrote in the report. "However, I am particularly concerned about white supremacist violent extremists who have been exceptionally lethal in their abhorrent, targeted attacks in recent years."

In 2017, Jeremy Joseph Christian fatally stabbed two men and injured another after they stepped in to stop him from harassing two teenage black girls and shouting anti-Muslim slurs at a Portland train station. That same year, James Alex Fields, Jr, rammed his car into a crowd at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing protester Heather Heyer.  

The next year, Robert Gregory Bowers killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, and the year after that a white supremacist shooter killed 23 people at a Wal Mart in El Paso.  

Since 2001, at least 110 people have been killed in right-wing domestic terror incidents, most of which are tied to white supremacist ideology.  

The report comes on the heels of a whistleblower report from within the DHS that alleged the department was attempting to modify intelligence reports to suit the political agenda of Donald Trump by downplaying white supremacist violence and Russian attempts at election meddling.  

Brian Murphy, the whistleblower, told CBS News that he was directed to modify a section of the report mentioning white supremacy in a way "that made the threat appear less severe, as well as include information on the prominence of violent 'left-wing' groups."

Mr Wolf denied the allegations.

"I think if you look at the document, Russia is mentioned somewhere in the document between 30 and 40 different times, so if we were trying to downplay Russia, we didn't do a very good job, I would say," he said.  

White supremacist groups became the focus of national attention after Mr Trump failed to condemn the Proud Boys, an SPLC-designated hate group, during the first presidential debate.  

Mr Trump told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by," a slogan the group quickly internalised as marching orders directly from the president. After refusing to condemn the Proud Boys, Mr Trump attempted to shift the attention of the debate towards Antifa and Black Lives Matter, left wing groups he treats as violent boogeymen in order to rally his base. 

The Proud Boys are a thinly-veiled white supremacist group that travels to left-wing activist events to incite street fights.  

Backlash to Mr Trump's inability to condemn the Proud Boys was quick and came from both his usual critics as well as many individuals who tend to be sympathetic to the president. Days later, Mr Trump went on Sean Hannity's show to condemn "all White supremacists" including the KKK and the Proud Boys.  

Mr Wolf's report was not solely focused on white supremacy. It also examined foreign threats to domestic security, naming Russia as the most "likely primary covert influence actor and purveyor" of disinformation.  

The DHS report suggests that Russia is once again using online disinformation campaigns to influence American voters and promote destablisation within the US. Russian disinformation most often targets Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.  

Despite stating that Russia is the most likely to engage in disinformation campaigns, Mr Wolf believes that China is the US's greatest threat.  

"The most long term strategic threat to Americans, the Homeland, and our way of life is the threat from China," Mr Wolf tweeted on Tuesday.  

Since the US landfall of the coronavirus, Mr Trump has been antagonistic toward the country, calling the virus the "Chinese" or "China" virus, and frequently pointing to the nation as the source of the US's suffering under the pandemic.