DHS to Replace ‘Right Wing Extremism’ Report
After weeks of political grandstanding and misguided ranting from bloggers and talk show hosts over the DHS report on “right wing extremism,” Janet Napolitano announced yesterday that the DHS has removed the report from their websites: Napolitano defends security budget, extremism report.
Napolitano, testifying before the House appropriations sub-committee on the agency’s budget, told lawmakers the report was designed for “situational awareness” and not targeting purposes.
Grilled by Texas representative John Carter on whether the DHS had clearly withdrawn its report for consideration by law enforcement officials, Napolitano said it had been removed from the DHS’s intel websites and is “in the process of being replaced … in a much more precise fashion.”
And you can bet that no matter how “precise” the new report may be, it will provoke another round of screaming.
Asked repeatedly by Illinois lawmaker Mark Kirk whether anyone was fired over the incident, Napolitano said “appropriate personnel action has and will be taken,” though she did not say anyone was removed.
In the report, which was not intended for public consumption, “there was no intent of accusing our veterans of being un-American,” Napolitano assured. “What there was,” she said, “was an understanding that veterans are sometimes targeted for recruitment — that is an assessment.”
The Pentagon gives instruction to its own commanders about the same phenomenon, the secretary added.
Frank says: