The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are concerned that “election-related grievances,” such as a belief in voter fraud, could motivate domestic extremists to engage in violence in the weeks before and after the November election, as it did during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, according to a new intelligence bulletin from the agencies.
Domestic violent extremists [DVEs] “continue to create, exploit, and promote narratives about the election process or legal decisions involving political figures, and we are concerned that these grievances could motivate some DVEs to engage in violence, as we saw during the 2020 election cycle,” the FBI and DHS said in the bulletin sent to state and local officials and private executives, which CNN obtained.
Extremists with such grievances, which could include “anger toward perceived political adversaries,” pose the most likely threat of extremist violence to election-related targets in the final weeks of the 2024 election cycle, through at least the inauguration in January, the federal assessment says.
The bulletin does not identify a specific or credible threat of violence toward the election, but it cites the two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump as examples of the willingness of extremists to target public and private events in the run-up to the election.
Some domestic violent extremists likely see publicly accessible locations, such as political rallies, campaign events, ballot drop-box locations and voter registration locations as “attractive targets,” according to the bulletin.
“Voting is underway in parts of our nation and the FBI is working closely with our law enforcement partners to detect any threats to election workers, public officials, candidates, and others,” the FBI said in a statement to CNN.
“The FBI is aware that some individuals may be motivated to commit violence or other illegal activity, and we are fully engaged with our partners to protect our communities,” the statement continued. “The FBI remains vigilant and, as always, we encourage members of the public to report to law enforcement any suspicious activity.”
CNN has reached out to DHS for comment.
Since the 2020 presidential election, election officials affiliated with both major political parties have faced a slew of violent threats and harassment that is often motivated by false perceptions of voter fraud. Many election officials have left the profession because of the toll the threats have taken on them and their families.
Despite losing the election to President Joe Biden, Trump and his allies have for years amplified election lies. A federal jury ordered Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s onetime attorney and the former New York City mayor, to pay nearly $150 million to two Georgia election workers for the harm caused by defamatory statements Giuliani made about them following the 2020 election.
During the 2024 election cycle, there have been hoax bomb threats to state capitol buildings, the bulletin noted. Public officials have also been “doxed,” or had their private information exposed online, and “swatted,” in which a caller makes a bogus crime report intended to trigger a massive law enforcement response to a target’s residence.
Last month, as CNN has reported, suspicious packages were also sent to election offices in more than 20 states, leading to an FBI investigation, triggering evacuations and rattling staff.
While the federal investigation into many of those incidents is ongoing, the actions “likely are intended to instill fear and disrupt election operations,” the bulletin said.
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