Mar-a-Lago search; conspiracy theories; Ohio man killed: The world of extremism this week
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The news cycle this week was dominated by the FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s home and club, Mar-a-Lago. That news reverberated throughout the extremist world, where conspiracy theories were quickly spun up, culminating in talk of civil war, a judge reportedly receiving death threats, and worries about attacks on the FBI.
On Thursday morning, the FBI said, an armed intruder tried to breach security at a Cincinnati field office. The subsequent police pursuit eventually led to the suspect being shot and killed.
More: Suspect in Cincinnati FBI breach may have posted on Trump's Truth Social during incident
The intruder was later identified by authorities as 42-year-old Ricky Shiffer. A USA TODAY review of online postings by an account on Truth Social, Trump's social media site, in the name "Ricky Shiffer," revealed several troubling posts, including one apparently written during the incursion or police pursuit.
Experts in extremism worry a prosecution of Trump will lead to more violence from the far right, and extremists say they are primed and ready to act on the former President’s behalf.
Mar-a-Lago search fuels extreme reactions
Platforms used by extremists exploded with speculation and vitriol this week after Trump’s Florida home was searched by FBI agents.
Members of Congress, the extremist group the Proud Boys, and anonymous posters on the encrypted messaging app Telegram all had their theories about the search and what it means for the future of America.
Social media users on the far-right denounced the FBI and Justice Department as members of the “Deep State.” They claimed the search of Trump’s home is part of an organized effort to bar him from running for president in 2024.
The rhetoric soon expanded to all-out calls for civil war on pro-Trump forums, including from at least one person who rioted at the Capitol on January 6 last year. A judge who signed the search warrants for Mar-a-Lago was threatened online.
Then, on Thursday morning, a man reportedly carrying a nail gun and an AR-15 rifle – later identified as Shiffer – was shot and killed after attempting to breach the Cincinnati office of the FBI. Read our story on Shiffer's Truth Social posts here.
On Thursday afternoon, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Department of Justice was moving to have parts of the search warrant for Mar-a-Lago unsealed, citing “The public’s clear and powerful interest in understanding what occurred under these circumstances.”
WHAT COMES NEXT? Trump’s statements, on his social media platform or elsewhere, can motivate the most extreme factions of his support base to take action, or not. And the next move is up to Trump, whose attorneys must either agree or object to unsealing the search warrants.
Facebook is (still) making money off extremists
A report released this week by the Tech Transparency Project found “Facebook is failing to remove white supremacist groups and is often profiting from searches for them on its platform.”
Meta, which owns Facebook, has taken some notable steps to ban extremist organizations from its site, but the report found these protections are easily circumvented by hate groups.
The advocacy organization found 80 white supremacist groups active on Facebook.
Researchers also found that searches on the site for groups with “Ku Klux Klan” in their name actually directed to advertisements for Black churches. The company told the Washington Post it "immediately began resolving" the issue.
THE BIG PICTURE: As my colleague Jessica Guynn and I reported last month, social media companies profess rules and systems to limit or ban extremism on their platforms. But time after time, they seem to have trouble turning those rules into reality.
For subscribers: Twitter banned the Proud Boys, but they're still there
More money to combat extremism in New York
Three months after an 18-year-old gunman shot 13 people, killing 10 Black shoppers in a supermarket in Buffalo, NY, the state’s governor is pledging $10 million to establish new teams across the state to combat domestic terrorism.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the effort on Tuesday, saying “Are we ready to meet the threat? There’s no shame in saying we’re not.” The funds will help every county in New York and New York City create teams of law enforcement officers, school officials, mental health professionals and others to evaluate the threat of extremism and attempt to protect residents.
There have been an average of 31 fatalities per year related to domestic extremism from 2014 to 2021, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
THE NATIONAL RESPONSE: Last year, the Department of Homeland Security announced $77 million in grants for state and local governments to combat domestic extremism.
Catch up from last week: Alex Jones, Oath Keepers and voter intimidation
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mar-a-Lago; conspiracy theories; Ohio man killed: Extremism this week
