Internal investigation of domestic violent extremism reveals four sympathizers inside DHS
CBSN
A nearly 11-month probe by the Department of Homeland Security into domestic violent extremism (DVE) in its ranks uncovered four incidents of active participation or support for violent extremist activity among employees at the agency since 2019.
But the report also revealed that the government arm responsible for tracking terrorist threats to the homeland "has not adopted an authoritative definition of 'domestic violent extremist' that can be incorporated" into DHS policies and guidance."
The probe, led by DHS' Domestic Violent Extremism Internal Review Working Group, assessed that the Department has "significant gaps" that impede its ability to "prevent, detect and respond" to potential DVE threats within DHS. These gaps – including a lack of workforce training to identify and report such activity – likely affected DHS' accounting, according to the assessment released Friday by the working group.
Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.
The knock at the door came at nighttime on Mother's Day 2008 in Oregon, where Jessica Ellis' parents lived. It was around 9:20 p.m. and his wife, Linda, was already in bed; her father Steve Ellis told CBS News, that he thought someone let their animals out — but two soldiers in Class A uniforms were standing at the door.