November, 17 2017, 12:45pm EDT
NAACP Outraged by Attorney General's Ignorance of FBI Report
The NAACP, the nation's original civil rights organization, is outraged by Attorney General Jeff Sessions' alleged ignorance of a recent FBI report on "black identity extremists."
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on November 14, 2017, Mr. Sessions claimed that he was unaware of the troublesome report, which characterizes certain protestors of police brutality as potential terrorists.
BALTIMORE, Md.
The NAACP, the nation's original civil rights organization, is outraged by Attorney General Jeff Sessions' alleged ignorance of a recent FBI report on "black identity extremists."
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on November 14, 2017, Mr. Sessions claimed that he was unaware of the troublesome report, which characterizes certain protestors of police brutality as potential terrorists.
Mr. Sessions did admit, when pressed by Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA37), that he was "aware that there are groups that do have an extraordinary commitment to their racial identity, and some have transformed themselves even into violent activists." However, he evaded Rep. Bass' questions regarding FBI intelligence on white identity groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
"The NAACP finds it deeply disturbing that the head of the Department of Justice would be unaware of a such a highly criticized report regarding the dangerous tactic by the FBI of linking protestors of police brutality to violence and terrorism," said Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO.
"Mr. Sessions' willingness to name Black activists as a threat and refusal to condemn white supremacist terrorist organizations evokes a double standard that we have seen time and again from this administration and remains unacceptable."
Founded Feb. 12. 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization. Its more than half-million members and supporters throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
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Despite 100% Pentagon Audit Failure Rate, House Passes $883.7 Billion NDAA
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Despite the Pentagon's repeated failures to pass audits and various alarming policies, 81 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted with 200 Republicans on Wednesday to advance a $883.7 billion annual defense package.
The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, unveiled by congressional negotiators this past Saturday, still needs approval from the Senate, which is expected to vote next week. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that he plans to vote no and spoke out against the military-industrial complex.
The push to pass the NDAA comes as this congressional session winds down and after the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last month that it had failed yet another audit—which several lawmakers highlighted after the Wednesday vote.
Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, said in a joint statement, "Time and time again, Congress seems to be able to find the funds necessary to line the pockets of defense contractors while neglecting the problems everyday Americans face here at home."
"Instead of fighting the rising cost of healthcare, gas, or groceries, this Congress prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex with even more unaccountable funds," they continued. "After a seventh failed audit in a row, it's disappointing that our amendment to hold the Pentagon accountable by penalizing the DOD's budget by 0.5% for each failed audit was stripped out of the final bill. It's time Congress demanded accountability from the Pentagon."
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Several of the 124 House Democrats who voted against the NDAA cited those "culture war" policies, in addition to concerns about how the Pentagon spends massive amounts of money that could go toward improving lives across the country.
"Once again, Congress has passed a massive military authorization bill that prioritizes endless military spending over the critical needs of American families. This year's NDAA designates $900 billion for military spending," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), noting the audit failures. "While I recognize the long-overdue 14.5% raise for our lowest-ranking enlisted personnel is important, this bill remains flawed. The bloated military budget continues to take away crucial funding from programs that could help millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet."
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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who also opposed the NDAA, wrote in a Tuesday opinion piece for MSNBC that he looks forward to working with DOGE "to reduce waste and fraud at the Pentagon, while strongly opposing any cuts to programs likeSocial Security, Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau."
"We should make defense contracting more competitive, helping small and medium-sized businesses to compete for Defense Department projects," Khanna argued. "The Defense Department also needs better acquisition oversight. Defense contractors have gotten away with overcharging the Pentagon and ripping off taxpayers for too long."
"Another area where we can work with DOGE is reducing the billions being spent to maintain excess military property and facilities domestically and abroad," he suggested. "Finally, DOGE can also cut the Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile program."
The congressman, who is expected to run for president in 2028, concluded that "American taxpayers want and deserve the best return on their investment. Let's put politics aside and work with DOGE to reduce wasteful defense spending. And let's invest instead in domestic manufacturing, good-paying jobs, and a modern national security strategy."
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