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White supremacists are an growing threat in America, according to the FBI, National Counterterrorism Center, and Department of Homeland Security. But Republicans on Capitol Hill beg to differ, no matter the mounting evidence to the contrary from Buffalo, El Paso, and even last year’s attack on their own office building, the United States Capitol, on Jan. 6.
In the wake of this weekend’s deadly Buffalo shooting – by an alleged gunman who said on social media he was targeting Blacks – most Republicans deny there’s a trend.
“I think it's tragic. I don't know if you could call it a trend or not,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told Raw Story on his way to a closed-door intelligence briefing in the underbelly of the Capitol.
The close ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell represents El Paso, which is still healing from the 2019 attack that left 23 dead – and another 23 injured – at the hands of a racist who released a manifesto before his cowardly act. But to Cornyn, whether it’s El Paso, Charleston, Charlottesville, or the Jan. 6 attack – where Black officers were repeatedly called the N-word as they fought to protect Cornyn and others – there’s no white supremacy to see in America, a nation founded on the doctrine that Blacks were only 3/5ths human.
IN OTHER NEWS: Doctor clashes with GOPer over definition of woman: 'I think it's important we educate people like you'
“It's just a cop out, trying to blame this on – I mean, it's violence committed by either criminal people or people who are deranged,” Cornyn said. “And if people want to put that in a pigeonhole or category – whether it's ‘hate crime’ or whatever – it doesn't make it any less evil.”
Other Republicans see conspiratorial tinges when they have to even entertain questions about white supremacists – even days after a self-appointed white supremacist allegedly slayed innocent Black shoppers. The problem is the question itself.
“I think it's awful. I think it's grotesquely divisive,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told Raw Story while riding up an elevator just off the Senate floor. “What it is is the media's showing themselves for who they are, which are advocates for the radical left. And they're just trying to cover up for Biden now.”
Recently, Johnson served as chair of the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee.
READ MORE: Enraged bus driver ‘slammed on the brakes’ and rerouted kids back to school for speaking Spanish
“We see gangs. We see cyber threats. I mean, I think there's actually more threatening threats,” Johnson continued, “I mean, there's more serious threats facing this nation than what's posed by white supremacists. Now again, I condemn it. Obviously.”
The Wisconsin senator then pointed to Chicago and all the murders there that are “Black on Black.
“Now, I'd be concerned about that. Again, I'm concerned about all violence. But I mean, I would focus my attention on where the murders are actually occurring,” Johnson said on Tuesday, three days after 10 people were killed in Buffalo. “And I'd be focusing my attention on what can we do to start preventing overdose deaths.”
Down in Indiana, there may be white supremacists – more than 15 white supremacist hate groups are being tracked by the Southern Poverty Law Center in the Hoosier State alone – but the state’s senior senator isn’t worried. He won’t even answer questions about it.
“Oh gosh,” Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) told Raw Story while heading into a Republican-only lunch at the Capitol. “I'll tell you, what's on most Hoosier’s minds is inflation, border security, war in Europe. I think the president and our national Democratic leaders would be well served by finding some solutions to our most pressing challenges.”
To other Republicans, it’s a problem, but they’re not sure anything can be done to stop white domestic extremists.
“The question is: can you find a lone actor?” Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) told Raw Story, before stepping in to buy lunch in the Capitol basement.
The former Senate Intelligence Committee chair helped ramp up domestic and foreign surveillance in the wake of 9-11, but says these cases – involving angry, homegrown white boys – are different.
“Unless you're going to surveil somebody 24/7 – and it didn't sound like it raised to a level to do that – there's that vulnerability in a free society,” Burr said, explaining U.S. law now makes it easier to surveil foreign terrorists. “We have different tools to surveil them versus domestic. I think you get into some very big constitutional questions pretty quickly.”
There’s no reason to focus attention on white supremacist violence – even in the wake of white supremacist violence – according to current Senate Intelligence Vice-Chair Marco Rubio (R-FL) who waxed philosophical when approached by Raw Story on his way to a classified meeting.
“Sadly, there isn't an ideology – or, frankly, religion – in the world that doesn't have adherents that commit horrifying atrocities. These deranged people can justify it anywhere they want, but we've had Black nationalist shootings in America. We had a Chinese immigrant go after Taiwanese immigrants in California the day after that shooting in Buffalo. We've had a congressional shooting here targeted by a socialist,” Rubio continued, “So once people make up their mind about some ideology or some belief system, they can justify it. You know, radical Islam. History has been replete with people that justify violence with Christianity. So it's a terrible part of the human condition.”
“Oh my God,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said, her voice dropping, after Raw Story relayed what her Republican colleagues have been saying about white supremacists in the wake of the Buffalo shooting.
“That continues the false narrative that Fox News puts out,” Gillibrand continued, “White supremacy is a scourge. It’s something that we have to address head on. It is proliferating evil and hate and division in this country, and we all have to stand up and fight against it.”
An Arizona bus driver is under fire after she allegedly told students they couldn't speak Spanish while riding on the bus, KYMA reports.
The driver then allegedly rerouted the bus back to school instead of the bus stop students were supposed to be left off at.
“My daughter let me know that they were being transported from the, from wherever they were, back to the school because she, because the bus driver let them know they can’t speak Spanish," said Gabriela Medina, whose 13-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter were on the bus with about 20 other students last Friday.
“Why aren’t my children being transported how they should be transported? Why didn’t I know their whereabouts for almost 20 minutes? That is not okay,” said Medina, adding that the bus driver, who is apparently female, "slammed the brakes" on the students.
IN OTHER NEWS: Doctor clashes with GOPer over definition of woman: 'I think it's important we educate people like you'
"That’s a big no. My children and all of the other children were in harm's way,” Medina said.
According to KYMA, Yuma Elementary School District One has not confirmed or denied whether the driver is still employed but claims the incident is under investigation.
Bus driver allegedly told students not to speak Spanish before slamming breaks www.youtube.com
Dr. Yashica Robinson, an Alabama abortion provider, clashed with Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) after he asked her for the definition of a woman.
A House Judiciary Committee hearing convened on Wednesday to address a leaked Supreme Court decision that could overturn federal abortion rights.
But Bishop used his time to ask Robinson for the definition of a woman. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) recently popularized the trick question at a Supreme Court nomination hearing.
The congressman noted that Robinson had revealed that she preferred "she/her" pronouns at the start of her testimony.
"What is a woman?" Bishop asked.
"I think it's important for you to understand why I used she/her pronouns," Robinson said.
"I would just like it if you could answer the question," Bishop interrupted. "What's a woman?"
"I think it's important that we educate people like you," Robinson shot back, "about why we're doing the things that we do. And so the reason I use she and her pronouns is because I understand that there are people who become pregnant that may not identify that way and I think it is discriminatory to speak to people or to call them in such a way as they desire not to be called."
"Are you going to answer my question?" Bishop pressed. "Can you answer the question? What's a woman?"
"I'm a woman," Robinson stated.
"So, you've given me an example of a woman," Bishop asserted. "You are a woman. Can you tell me -- otherwise, can you tell me what a woman is?"
"Yes, I'm telling you I'm a woman," Robinson repeated.
"Is that as comprehensive of a definition as you can give me?" Bishop asked.
"That's as comprehensive of a definition as I will give you today because I think that it's important that we focus on what we're here for and it's to talk about access to abortion," Robinson observed.
Watch the video below from the House Judiciary Committee.
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