US DOJ pulls study on far-right violence after Kirk killing
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A US Justice Department report showing far-right extremists committed the most domestic terror killings has vanished from its site after the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
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The logo for the Justice Department is seen before a news conference at the Department of Justice on August 23, 2024, in Washington (AP)
The US Department of Justice has quietly removed a research report from its website that concluded far-right extremists in the US are responsible for significantly more domestic terror-related killings than any other ideological group.
The report, titled What NIJ Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism, disappeared from the Justice Department’s website between September 12 and 13. The removal was first noted by Daniel Malmar, a PhD student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who had been monitoring federal materials related to extremism.
Its removal came just days after the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, a high-profile conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, who was gunned down while speaking at Utah Valley University on 10 September.
Study found far-right violence outpaces other terror threats
The now-archived document presented decades of data compiled by the National Institute of Justice. It opened with a stark conclusion:
“Since 1990, far-right extremists have committed far more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist extremists, including 227 events that took more than 520 lives. In this same period, far-left extremists committed 42 ideologically motivated attacks that took 78 lives.”
In addition, the report stated that “militant, nationalistic, white supremacist violent extremism has increased in the United States” and emphasized that “the number of far-right attacks continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism.”
Where the study once appeared, the Department of Justice now cites a general review of its materials “in accordance with recent executive orders,” according to reporting by 404Media. However, the specific page is currently inaccessible.
Charlie Kirk's killing fuels political backlash
Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with the murder of Kirk. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. In the wake of the incident, former President Donald Trump and other Republican figures have blamed the attack on “radical left” elements, though no motive has been officially confirmed by authorities.
The shooting has further inflamed political tensions, with Republican leaders using it to denounce what they describe as left-wing extremism, despite the DOJ report’s findings suggesting a broader and deadlier pattern of violence on the far right.
Report’s findings supported by independent research
The removed DOJ study is not the only analysis pointing to this trend. Independent research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies examined 893 terrorist plots in the US between 1994 and 2020 and concluded that:
“Rightwing attacks and plots account for the majority of all terrorist incidents in the United States since 1994.”
This aligns closely with the findings of the now-removed federal report, reinforcing concerns over the growing threat posed by far-right domestic terrorism.
Experts warn of politicized response to domestic terrorism
In congressional testimony in 2023, Heidi Beirich, Executive Vice President of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, warned lawmakers about the skewed political narrative around domestic terrorism.
“Data on acts of political violence clearly shows that it is the far right that is driving terrorism in the US, including targeting and, in certain cases, murdering law enforcement,” she said.
Beirich acknowledged that violence from far-left actors does exist but emphasized that “it is simply not on the scale or as deadly as what is coming from far-right actors.”
Bondi faces backlash over ‘hate speech’ crackdown
Meanwhile, US Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing mounting criticism, including from within conservative circles, after pledging that the Trump administration would “absolutely target” individuals who engage in “hate speech” following the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Bondi made the remarks during a podcast interview hosted by Katie Miller, the wife of senior White House official Stephen Miller. Speaking in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing, Bondi said, “There’s free speech and then there’s hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society.”
Her comments have sparked backlash from across the political spectrum. Critics argue that the attorney general’s position could infringe on constitutional rights, and many on the right expressed concern over what they view as government overreach and potential weaponization of speech-related enforcement.
Prominent conservative voices questioned whether the administration’s approach might set a precedent for targeting dissent under the guise of regulating extremism. Libertarian groups and civil liberties advocates also warned of the risk of blurring the line between protected speech and unlawful behavior.
