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Homeland Security admits error with extremism report

BY TOM BRUNE | tom.brune@newsday.com

9:53 PM EDT, April 17, 2009

WASHINGTON - Intelligence analysts at the Homeland Security Department ignored objections by civil-liberties officials before sending out a controversial report on the resurgence of domestic right-wing extremism, a department official confirmed Friday.

The "intra-department disconnect" between the department's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and its Office of Intelligence and Analysis that prepared the 10-page assessment, was flagged in a letter Friday by Rep. Pete King (R-Seaford) and other Republicans on the House Committee on Homeland Security.

"[The civil liberties office] did object to a portion of the assessment. This was not remedied before the assessment went out," said Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa on Friday. "This is a breakdown in an internal process that we will fix in the future." She wouldn't identify what language raised the objection.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday said there should be a rewrite of a footnote defining "hate groups" involved in right-wing extremism as possibly including "groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."

In the letter to homeland security committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), King and the other Republicans requested a public hearing on the assessment, which has touched off criticism - especially from veterans' groups and Republicans. King is the committee's ranking minority member and its former chairman.

The report - "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment" - was sent to local law enforcement on April 7, and leaked last week.

Among other concerns, the report said disgruntled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan might be recruited by extremist groups.

In a letter Tuesday, Thompson told Napolitano he was "disappointed" by the report. He arranged for DHS to brief the committee next week.