The federal government is taking many of its "War on Terror" tools originally targeted at foreigners overseas and turning them against Americans at home. A new report cites sources within the Department of Homeland Security confirming the agency is looking "to better harness the vast trove of data it already collects on Americans" in an effort to root out "domestic terrorism."
Brad Johnson, president of Americans for Intelligence Reform, says this is part of a broader effort that has been underway for awhile, but has picked up new momentum in the aftermath of January's riot and breach at the U.S. Capitol. "(DHS) has become very active in recent years trying to target white, what they consider right-leaning, conservatives," says Johnson. "And now, we are seeing a full-scale assault on conservatism in the United States. This is blatantly illegal."
Specifically, DHS is reportedly looking to expand its relationships with companies that collect public data i.e. Facebook and Google. This follows reports the FBI used Bank of America to hand over data on customers following the Capitol riots. "They're attempting to put people who are in any way associated with pro-Trump rallies or anything of that nature, putting them on no-fly lists, looking at their banking records," says Johnson.
"The Department of Homeland Security has been politicized and weaponized, and is being used to target a political spectrum within the citizenry of the United States of America," adds Johnson. "And I'm not even sure that DHS deserves to exist if they're going to do these sorts of behaviors."