Domestic hate groups elude feds
American white supremacists enjoy legal protections that blunt sweeping powers used to prosecute groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda.
By ALI WATKINS and JOSH MEYER
08/15/2017 01:04 PM EDT
Updated 08/15/2017 03:58 PM EDT
When an alleged white supremacist rammed a car into a crowd of people Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and members of Congress from both parties were quick to call it an act of terrorism.
But U.S. law enforcement officials, who enjoy sweeping powers to investigate and prosecute suspected foreign terrorists on U.S. soil, face obstacles to charging the man, James Alex Fields Jr., as a terrorist. The Justice Department's civil rights division is currently focused on whether Fields committed a hate crime.
Beyond Fields' case is the urgent question of how law enforcement can prevent further violence at a time when radical white supremacist groups appear emboldened. U.S. officials are severely limited in their ability to crack down on domestic extremist groups—even those who spew hate-filled rhetoric, acquire arms and advocate violence.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/15/us-hate-groups-legal-protections-241653
