US Justice Department Takes Down Study Finding Right-Wing Extremists Carry Out ‘Significantly More’ Attacks
America’s DOJ has deleted a study from its official online portal that concluded far-right radicals have taken the lives of far more people than all other homegrown extremist organizations. The removal occurred just days after a shooter fatally shot prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Research Deleted Amid Political Tension
The study, named “What NIJ Research Tells Us”, was taken down from the Department of Justice website in September. According to observers watching the resource, the document was accessible until recently.
The research opened with powerful findings: “From 1990 onward, right-wing extremists have perpetrated a greater number of belief-based murders than far-left or religious extremist groups. Among these were hundreds of attacks that took more than 520 victims. Meanwhile, left-wing radicals carried out fewer than 50 incidents that led to 78 deaths.”
Legal Action Taken in Charlie Kirk Murder
The suspect, age 22, has been charged with the killing of the conservative activist. Prosecutors are requesting the death penalty. In the wake of the incident, Republican leaders and prominent GOP allies blamed “radical left” for the act.
Research Data Match External Analysis
The National Institute of Justice analysis, which was based on extensive historical of research, represented one of the most detailed federal reviews of US-based violent acts. The report showed that “militant, ultra-nationalist, ethnonationalist terrorism has increased in the United States” and that “the number of far-right violence continues to surpass every other forms of extremism”.
These findings are consistent with external research, such as a study from the CSIS that analyzed nearly 900 acts of terrorism between recent history. The analysis concluded that “Conservative extremist incidents and plans represent the bulk of all political violence in the United States in modern history.”
Researcher Statements Back the Data
congressional hearings from recent years, analysts such as Heidi Beirich told officials that “data on events of ideologically motivated attacks clearly shows that it is the right-wing extremists that is driving violent extremism in the US”.
“This does not mean there is zero incidents from far-left actors,” she continued, “but rather far less frequent or as deadly as what is perpetrated by far-right actors.”
Organization Context
Charlie Kirk had established Turning Point USA into a major conservative activist network. Kirk addressed attendees at the 2024 Republican national convention and was engaging with students when he was shot.
The justice department did not comment to requests about the deletion of the report.
