Quick Hit:

Newly obtained documents reveal that Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) considered Trump supporters as "domestic extremists" and proposed that mothers and teachers report these individuals to federal authorities.

Key Details:

• Trump supporters were labeled as "domestic extremists" by a DHS committee.
• Mothers and teachers were targeted to report on neighbors suspected of dissent.
• Documents were obtained through a lawsuit, shedding light on the controversial proposal.

Diving Deeper:

Newly obtained documents from America First Legal (AFL) have unveiled a controversial strategy by the Biden administration's Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The documents reveal that the DHS, under the guidance of a committee led by former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, classified Trump supporters as "domestic extremists" and sought to influence mothers and teachers to report these individuals to federal authorities.

The documents, part of the disbanded "Homeland Intelligence Experts Group," outline an insidious plan to expand government surveillance under the pretense of national security. Established in September last year, the group included prominent figures like Brennan and Clapper, who previously misrepresented Hunter Biden’s laptop controversy as Russian disinformation during the 2020 election.

AFL, a conservative non-profit, filed a lawsuit in November 2023, alleging that the group was packed with Democratic partisans and violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act due to its lack of balance and transparency. As part of an out-of-court settlement in May, DHS agreed to disband the group and release its internal documents.

These documents provide a disturbing glimpse into the group’s intentions. Notes from a September 2023 meeting detail discussions about increasing DHS efforts to gather intelligence on Americans by integrating into local communities "in a non-threatening way." The group acknowledged the failure of the post-9/11 “See Something, Say Something” campaign, noting Americans’ reluctance to report on each other.

To overcome this reluctance, the group proposed reclassifying political dissent, particularly among Trump supporters, as a “public health” crisis. This reclassification was intended to make reporting on dissenting neighbors or family members more acceptable under the guise of public safety. One meeting participant suggested, "To get a mother or teacher to come forward, it needs to be a public health catcher’s mitt."

The strategy also considered leveraging corporate America to gather intelligence on employees. "There is an industry ecosystem, companies are internally collecting open sources,” a participant noted. "Are you able to engage and use those products?"

Support for these initiatives reportedly grew following the January 6, 2021, Capitol protest, furthering the political backing for increased domestic surveillance.

Ric Grenell, a former acting Director of National Intelligence under Trump and partner with AFL in the lawsuit, condemned the strategy. “Thanks to America First Legal, we were able to get the Biden team’s personal documents outlining their strategy to monitor and intimidate dissenting views,” Grenell said. “It is shocking to see such intolerance and paranoia in written form.”

These revelations are part of what AFL calls the “Deep State Diaries,” promising more insights from the disbanded group’s archives. The uncovering of these plans has raised significant concerns about government overreach and the potential erosion of civil liberties, painting a troubling picture of the Biden administration's approach to domestic intelligence and national security.

The parallels to East Germany’s Stasi, which relied on informants to report on dissidents between 1950 and 1990, are hard to ignore. The Biden administration's attempt to classify Trump supporters as domestic extremists and encourage Americans to report on each other marks a dangerous step towards surveillance and control.