Congresswoman Cori Bush Committed to Holding White Supremacists Accountable Without Expanding the Power and Authority of Law Enforcement
WASHINGTON, DC – In a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security hearing on the Rise of Domestic Terrorism in America, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) expressed concern about the infiltration of white supremacy within law enforcement, citing a leaked FBI Counterterrorism Division memo and historic examples of domestic terrorism laws being used to target Black and brown activists and organizers. The Congresswoman pushed back against the notion that expanded legal authority is needed to adequately investigate and prosecute these domestic terrorists.
The Congresswoman’s questioning came on the heels of a letter she recently sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General, calling for an investigation into the DOJ’s disparate treatment of Black protesters.
A full transcript of her questioning and exchange with the witnesses is available below.
Transcript: Congresswoman Cori Bush Discusses the impacts of Domestic Terrorism laws on Black, brown and Indigenous protesters. (February 24, 2021)
CONGRESSWOMAN CORI: St. Louis and I thank you, Madam Chair, for convening this timely hearing.
I first want to start by addressing some of what has been said. It’s easy for us to talk about protests from the lofty halls of Congress. But I want to talk about these realities from my own experience as an activist on the frontlines. I spent more than 400 days in the streets of Ferguson and, you know, during that time while a lot of you all speaking, you know, were nestled sweetly in your bed, looking and reading articles and looking at pictures and videos, and you have actually no clue what really was happening on the ground, what actually happens in protests. And I’m just trying to think if I ever saw any of your faces show up for Black lives on the streets of Ferguson. And I’m just trying to think if I remember ever seeing any of your faces show up for Black lives on the streets of Ferguson. I don’t remember seeing your faces and we were out there for more than 400 days fighting for Black lives. And so while you’re putting your mouth on people, where were you? I am one of those Black Lives Matter activists you’re talking about. I saw Oath Keepers enter our neighborhood heavily armed. They came equipped with military-grade weaponry. These militias were on buildings in sniper gear. Their presence was a threat.
I’m also aware of defenders for Black life. For people of all walks of life uniting for justice. We cannot equate white nationalist violence with what my colleagues on the right stated is “left-wing extremist violence.” Equating a righteous movement for justice with hateful and racist white nationalism is outright ignorant and disingenuous on your part. But for white supremacy, in which you benefit, we would not be in the streets demanding to be heard. We’re demanding to be heard to save lives. And let me say this, had you fixed it before now, we wouldn’t be here. And there are not fine people on both sides. There is simply no comparison.
White supremacy is deeply entrenched in our nation's DNA. So much so, that we have a wealth of history to rely on as we respond to this latest iteration of violence.
Here are the facts as I see them. White nationalist groups have infiltrated federal and local law enforcement agencies. And I can say that because I know, because the protesters that I rock with, the protestors that I’m with, we have gone out and pulled those undercover officers, those folks that were infiltrating the protest movement, causing destruction, we pulled them out and we gave them back to their police. As a matter of fact, you can look up an officer who’s just won five million dollars because he was beaten because they thought he was actually a protester. He was actually an undercover cop. But don’t take my word for it, you can read the leaked FBI Counter Terrorism Division memo if you need some more information. By expanding the legal authority of law enforcement agencies - without addressing the infiltration of white supremacy within law enforcement - we are expanding the capacity of white supremacy itself.
It is no wonder, then, that domestic terrorism laws have historically targeted Black freedom fighters, Indigenous environmentalists and immigration activists. Just last week, on the anniversary of his assassination, we mourned the loss of Malcolm X, a human rights activist who was surveilled and criminalized while fighting for justice and Black liberation. Had we had our liberation, he wouldn’t have had to fight.
And it is because of this treatment that I am committed to holding white supremacists accountable and forcing my colleagues and our country to reckon with our violent history.
So, Mr. German, you’ve argued that the Justice Department and FBI’s failure to properly address white supremacist militant violence is not from a lack of legal authority, but a matter of policy and practice. Why are those policies and practices as they exist not targeting white supremacy?
MR. GERMAN: I think that there’s a multifaceted answer to that. But part of the problem is that the FBI remains a mostly white organization and structural racism, I think, is still a problem within the FBI. So, when those agents go home at night, they don’t look out on the horizon and see a threat to their families from white supremacy.
CONGRESSWOMAN CORI: Thank you, Mr. German. Our reliance on the police state is entirely misplaced. Federal law enforcement offices already have the legal authority to go after white supremacy.
So, Mr. Henderson, how can we hold white supremacy accountable without expanding the legal authority?
MR. HENDERSON: Thank you for your question. We have many statutes on the books. Over 50 terrorism related statutes that can be used to prosecute individuals that are engaged in violent activity. We do not need another statue to simply be used as justification for moving against those who do harm to our country. I’ll stop there. Thank you for your question.
CONGRESSWOMAN CORI: Thank you, and I yield my time.
To watch and download the Congresswoman’s full exchange, click here.
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Congresswoman Cori Bush represents Missouri’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She is also a Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus. She is a registered nurse, single mother, and an ordained pastor. Following the murder of Michael Brown Jr. by a now-terminated Ferguson police officer, she became a civil rights activist and community organizer fighting for justice for Black lives on the streets of Missouri and across the country.