July 21, 2021

Chairman Takano Announces Hearing on the Recruitment of Veterans by Domestic Violent Extremist Groups

WASHINGTON, D.C —Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) announced a hearing entitled, “Domestic Violent Extremist Groups and the Recruitment of Veterans.” The hearing, based on the Committee’s investigation that started last fall, will focus on understanding who domestic violent extremist groups like the Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Proud Boys, and others are, why they target veterans, and how the Committee can help these veterans. The hearing will take place on Thursday, July 29, 2021 at 1:00 PM EST.

 

“Last fall—long before the insurrection on January 6^th--our Committee started investigating the troubling trend of domestic violent extremist groups recruiting veterans into their ranks,” said Chairman Takano. “The harm from this particular issue transcends veterans, and taken to the extreme, can threaten the very core of our democracy and national security. Next week, we will hold our first hearing on the investigation to better understand who these domestic violent extremist groups are and why they specifically target veterans. Our Committee has a long history of helping veterans in need and those ensnared by domestic violent extremist groups deserve our help too. I look forward to this and future hearings as we work to find ways our Committee can help rehabilitate and find a positive path forward for these veterans.”

 

THURSDAY, July 29, 2021

FULL COMMITTEE INVESTIGATIVE HEARING — FULLY VIRTUAL

“Domestic Violent Extremist Groups and the Recruitment of Veterans”

1:00 PM EST; YouTube, Facebook

 

Witnesses:

Panel 1

Mr. Denver Riggleman

Former Representative

Virginia’s 5^th District

 

Mr. Joe Plenzler

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.)

U.S. Marine Corps

 

Mr. Jeremy Butler

Chief Executive Officer

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

 

Dr. Amy Cooter

Senior Lecturer in Sociology

Vanderbilt University

 

Panel 2

 

Dr. Seth Jones

Senior Vice President, Director of the Transnational Threats Project

Center for Strategic and International Studies

 

Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss

Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab

American University

 

Dr. Sam Jackson

Assistant Professor in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland

Security, and Cybersecurity

University of Albany

 

Mr. Oren Segal

Vice President of the Center on Extremism

Anti-Defamation League

 

Dr. Heidi Beirich

Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer

Global Project Against Hate and Extremism

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