Militia groups at the polls: What kind of danger do they pose?

FBI Director Christopher Wray told a House committee last month that white supremacist groups are the biggest domestic terrorism threat the country faces. Militia movements have been more active in recent months amid economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, plus protests and racial strife following the killing of George Floyd.

The most outrageous incident involved 13 men with anti-government group ties threatening to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Now there are concerns that these heavily-armed groups could show up to polling places on Election Day.

NPR: Here's Where The Threat Of Militia Activity Around The Elections Is The Highest

LA TImes: What if armed far-right groups go to the polls? Some plan to

Credits

Guests:

  • Molly Hennessy-Fiske - Washington Post reporter - @mollyhf
  • Cynthia Miller-Idriss - professor and director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University; author of “Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right”
  • Adam Winkler - professor of law at UCLA, and author of "Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America" - @adamwinkler

Host:

Madeleine Brand

Producers:

Sarah Sweeney, Michell Eloy, Amy Ta, Rosalie Atkinson, Brian Hardzinski, Angie Perrin