Torres to DOJ: Release FBI Report on White Supremacist Infiltration of Law Enforcement
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today led 27 lawmakers in requesting the Department of Justice (DOJ) release the full contents of a 2006 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intelligence assessment entitled, "White Supremacist Infiltration of Law Enforcement," provide an updated status of such infiltration, and share how the DOJ and FBI have addressed the issue since the initial release of the assessment.
The lawmakers write, in part:
"[A]larm bells have spanned several years and we are concerned that DOJ and the FBI have not taken sufficient actions to prevent white supremacists from entering the ranks of law enforcement…Given the urgency of this moment, we cannot accept a lack of action on the part of the federal government to tackle white supremacy in our police departments."
Released with heavy redactions in 2006, the intelligence assessment raised alarms about white supremacy in police:
"White supremacist leaders and groups have historically showed interest in infiltrating law enforcement communities or recruiting law enforcement personnel." Such infiltration, the memo states, could "lead to investigative breaches and can jeopardize the safety of law enforcement sources or personnel."
Congresswoman Torres released the following statement:
"As we work to end systemic racism in law enforcement, we need to know how pervasive white supremacist ideology is among our officers," Rep. Torres said. "The FBI raised an alarm about this fourteen years ago – the public has yet to hear exactly what they found, and what, if anything, was done about it. We must ensure appropriate action was taken for any threats this report identified, and revisit the inquiry to bring its findings up to date immediately."
The letter is co-signed by: Representatives Alma Adams (NC-12), Donald Beyer, Jr. (VA-08), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Tony Ca?rdenas (CA-29), Andre? Carson (IN-07), Judy Chu (CA-27), Ted Deutch (FL-22) Adriano Espillat (NY-13), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Jesu?s G. "Chuy" Garcia (IL-04), Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Al Green (TX-09), Rau?l M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Deb Haaland (NM-01), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), William Keating (MA-09), Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Grace Meng (NY-06), Grace Napolitano (CA-32), Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Jackie Speier (CA-14), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23).
The full text of Rep. Torres' letter is available here.
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