NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX – Republican attorneys general from at least 27 states want to coordinate a “game plan” with the FBI and the Department of Justice to “root out antisemitic domestic terrorism.”
Fox News Digital first obtained a copy of their letter to FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday requesting “assistance in the fight against antisemitic domestic terrorism in the United States.”
“We hope to meet with you personally to discuss ways that the states can support the excellent work of the FBI and partner with the Department of Justice to ensure those who are committing these egregious acts are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” the letter, spearheaded by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, says.
“Like you, we were horrified by the Hamas terrorist attacks against the people of Israel on October 7, 2023, and we are concerned with the increase in antisemitism that has unfolded since that fateful day,” the state attorneys general wrote. “Domestic terrorists have become more emboldened to commit horrific crimes against Jews and supporters of Israel since October 7, and our collective response will impact the trajectory of that development.”
TRUMP SAYS BOULDER TERROR ATTACK ‘WILL NOT BE TOLERATED,’ DEPORTATIONS MUST CONTINUE
The letter references how two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot and killed outside the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum on May 21. The victims – 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky and 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim – were leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee when they were attacked. The couple was reportedly set to be engaged.
The alleged gunman, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, shouted, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” when he was taken into custody, according to authorities.
Wilson – along with the attorneys general for Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming and West Virginia – say the attack is a “sobering reminder of the persistence and growth of antisemitism in the United States.”
Their letter also references how Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an illegal immigrant from Egypt, is accused of setting victims on fire in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, “while they peacefully rallied on behalf of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.” The suspect was reportedly heard yelling, “Free Palestine,” and other anti-Israel slogans. The victims range from ages 52 to 88. The letter cites how one of the burning victims is reportedly a Holocaust survivor.
“We applaud the FBI for wasting no time in investigating both of these recent incidences of antisemitic domestic terrorism,” the letter says. “Senseless violence and the incitement of such violence is also becoming rampant on college campuses. Those who revel in the October 7 attacks show public hostility to the point where many Jewish students do not feel safe living everyday lives. Standing up to antisemitism on college campuses is something the states care about as well.”
PATEL SOUNDS ALARM AS CHINESE NATIONALS CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING ‘AGROTERRORISM AGENT’ INTO US: ‘DIRECT THREAT’
The letter commends the work of the FBI and the DOJ’s creation of “Joint Task Force October 7” to investigate antisemitism as “recent evidence of the Trump Administration’s resolve to be a force for good in the fight against hate-inspired criminal activity.”
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 29 establishing the mandate for his administration “to combat antisemitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful antisemitic harassment and violence.”
He has also sought to empower state and local law enforcement by instructing “appropriate heads of executive departments” to “take all appropriate action to maximize the use of federal resources” to increase the “collection, distribution and uniformity of crime data across jurisdictions,” the letter says. “After all, ‘preparedness is most effectively owned and managed at the State, local and even individual levels, supported by a competent, accessible, and efficient federal government.’”
“As our states’ chief legal officers, we see firsthand how effective use of investigative tools aid in the prosecution and prevention of criminal activity,” the letter says. “And we want to work with the FBI and the Department of Justice to be part of the solution to the growing wave of antisemitic domestic terrorism. That’s why we write to encourage further cooperation between federal law enforcement and the states, and for a chance to discuss what such a partnership could look like.”
The letter says the “tips and leads amassed by the FBI could be shared with state and local law enforcement to stop domestic terrorism in its tracks.”
The attorneys general went on to say that the “FBI is world-renowned for its investigative expertise, and the states appreciate the FBI’s current efforts to disseminate threat intelligence to state and local law enforcement.”
“At the same time, increased partnership between state, local and federal law enforcement to share intelligence on antisemitic threats could help stem the tide of domestic terrorism,” the letter says. “We would welcome the chance to meet with you in the coming weeks to discuss a potential partnership between the FBI, the Department of Justice and the states. Together we can create a game plan to root out antisemitic domestic terrorism.”
Read the full article here
