The Trump administration’s Department of Justice removed a report on domestic terrorism from its official website this month.
The study titled “What National Institute of Justice Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism” found that far-right extremists have committed more ideologically motivated crimes in comparison to far-left extremists, prompting public concern over the department’s reason for taking it away.
Spanning two decades, the study involved extensive research by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) into domestic radicalization and terrorism, aiming to examine the link between radicalism and the growing incidence of political violence in the United States.
The research provided key insights, ranging from the demographic and behavioral characteristics of U.S. extremists to the relationship between military experience and violent extremism. It concluded that violent extremism linked to militant nationalism and white supremacist ideologies has grown in the U.S., with far-right attacks continuing to surpass all other forms of terrorism and domestic violence.
While the timing and reasoning of the Justice Department’s removal of the report remains unexplained, it has prompted questions about the department’s motives. The study’s removal followed the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative commentator who was shot and killed while speaking at a “Prove Me Wrong” debate at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
Kirk’s death, seen by some as an example of escalating political violence in the United States, has further drawn attention to the department’s decision to delete the study. The report’s removal has also sparked concerns about political censorship from the public, even as President Donald Trump urged Americans to move forward rather than live in fear of such violence.
Despite research from the NIJ supporting that far-right attacks continue to outpace all other forms of domestic violent extremism, Trump attributed Charlie Kirk’s death to radical leftists during a White House address. However, Kirk’s assasination was carried out by Tyler Robinson, who is believed to come from a conservative family, according to Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox.
“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism we’re seeing in our country today,” Trump said.
Institutions such as Virginia State University and Southern University have received multiple campus threats following Kirk’s death, leading some HBCU students to believe that right-wing extremists were using Kirk’s death to deflect accountability.
Antoinette Ly, a junior political science major at Howard University, condemned the recent threats made against HBCUs following Kirk’s death.
“It is unfortunate that the threats targeting HBCUs after Charlie Kirk’s death reflect the same hate that contributed to his death” Ly said.
The concerns of HBCU students like Ly highlight the broader societal impact of campus and political violence.
Katie Couric, a journalist and founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company, emphasized the importance of the NIJ’s research as it sheds light on the complex relationship between politics and extremism.
“This study, based on research spanning decades, represented one of the most comprehensive government assessments ever of domestic terrorism patterns,” Couric said.
Copy edited by Damenica Ellis
