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NCTraveler

(30,481 posts)
Mon May 14, 2018, 10:13 AM May 2018

DNC Deputy Chair/Congressman Want Answers About White Supremacists In The Military.

Ellison Wants Answers About White Supremacists in the Military

Rep. Keith Ellison wants the Pentagon to disclose any information it has about white supremacists currently serving in the the military.

The Minnesota Democrat sent a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis last week asking about “steps currently being taken to screen recruits for extremist ties,” Military Times reported.

Ellison’s letter came after a ProPublica and “Frontline” report found that three active duty service members were associated with Atomawaffen, a white supremacist group that has been tied to five murders in the past year.


https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/ellison-wants-answers-about-white-supremacy-in-the-military

Congressman wants answers on extremist activity in the military

WASHINGTON — A Minnesota congressman wants full details on what the military knows about extremist activity within its own ranks following news reports detailing at least three service members with ties to a white supremacist group.

Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat who was the first Muslim to be elected to Congress, set a letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late last week asking for information on any investigations into troops’ extremist activities and “steps currently being taken to screen recruits for extremist ties” by the end of the month. He calls the problem an urgent threat to the armed forces.

“Although Department of Defense guidance clearly prohibits discrimination and extremist behavior, it appears that some service members are still able to join and actively participate in extremist organizations,” the letter stated, adding he sees evidence that “volunteers with seemingly credible ties to the white supremacist movement are being allowed to enter the military.”

The move stems from a recent ProPublica and Frontline PBS report which found evidence at least three current service members and three other veterans who belong to the white supremacist group Atomawaffen, which has been tied to the murders of at least five people in the last year alone.


https://www.armytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2018/05/07/congressman-wants-answers-on-extremist-activity-in-the-military/

One in four troops sees white nationalism in the ranks

Nearly one in four troops polled say they have seen examples of white nationalism among their fellow service members, and troops rate it as a larger national security threat than Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new Military Times poll.

The troops were surveyed about one month after white supremacist groups and counter-protesters clashed in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Critics of Trump have accused him of emboldening groups who wish to discriminate against minorities, through both his public comments and policies.

Trump has said he opposes racism in all forms.

In the wake of the Charlottesville riot, senior military leaders repeatedly emphasized that threats or discrimination against minorities is against service values. The Military Times poll findings show that the armed forces aren’t exempt from the debate.


https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2017/10/23/military-times-poll-one-in-four-troops-sees-white-nationalism-in-the-ranks/

KEITH ELLISON
DEPUTY CHAIR


Keith Ellison was born and raised in Detroit, MI and moved to Minneapolis for law school, graduating in 1990. After law school, Ellison worked as a civil rights lawyer and an organizer around social justice issues. In 2002, he was elected to the Minnesota State Legislature. In 2006, he became the first Muslim elected to Congress and in 2010, became Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the largest caucus of Democrats. Minnesota's 5th Congressional District has one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the nation. In 2015, Ellison unveiled the Voters First Campaign, which aimed to increase voter turnout through grassroots organizing, campaign coordination, and low-dollar fundraising.


https://www.democrats.org/person/keith-ellison

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DNC Deputy Chair/Congressman Want Answers About White Supremacists In The Military. (Original Post) NCTraveler May 2018 OP
White Supremacist are dangerous Gothmog May 2018 #1
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