Durbin Questions Witnesses in Judiciary Committee Hearing on Domestic Terrorism

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Matthew Olsen, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice (DOJ) National Security Division; and Jill Sanborn, Executive Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Security Branch at today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “The Domestic Terrorism Threat One Year After January 6.”  Durbin discussed research by Robert Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST), which found that those involved in the January 6 insurrection were older and more likely to hold white-collar jobs than right-wing extremists arrested in prior years for acts of violence, and that they typically had no ties to existing violent extremist groups.

“As you are envisioning what needs to be done to keep America safe in the future, what do these conclusions tell you?” Durbin asked.  “The point that is being made by the Pape study is that if you just went to the organizations themselves, you will have missed the brunt of the attacks on the Capitol on January 6… I’m asking each of you, as you look forward to try to keep us safe, are you going beyond the traditional means of suspects and people involved in this activity?”

Ms. Sanborn noted that the FBI is focused on mobilization indicators, as well as human behavior, to determine if someone might become radicalized.  

“We believe that educating people on those mobilization indicators will help us stay ahead of the violent threats that are out there,” said Ms. Sanborn.

Durbin concluded, “I believe that these extremist organizations are still dangerous, and keeping an eye on them and suppressing them is necessary, but may not be sufficient.  This analysis of the January 6 insurrectionists and rioters [Pape study] tells us that the reach of this extremism goes far beyond these organizations.”

Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.

Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.

Footage of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here for TV Stations.

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