Staff Reports
In a scathing rebuke of the Pentagon’s priorities, Republican lawmakers have accused the Department of Defense (DOD) of wasting time and taxpayer money on investigating domestic terrorism while harboring an alleged Iranian influence agent. Reps. Jim Banks and Elise Stefanik criticized the DOD’s Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) office for hosting a book talk on “far-right” domestic terrorism, all while ignoring the threat posed by Iranian-backed terrorist proxies. The GOP representatives mockingly questioned the wisdom of holding a discussion on right-wing extremism in the same office where an alleged Iranian influencer holds a high-ranking position.
The event, which featured two experts discussing their book on far-right terrorism, drew further condemnation from Banks and Stefanik. They argued that the Biden administration’s “woke” approach to the DOD resulted in a baseless witch hunt for far-right extremism, wasting $900,000 in taxpayer dollars. They also pointed out the irony of paying leftist professors to speak on the topic of extremism while taking no action against an alleged employee with ties to Iranian extremism.
The staffer in question, Ariane Tabatabai, is the chief of staff in the SO/LIC office and was recently investigated for her involvement in an Iranian influence network. She served as a founding member of the Iran Experts Initiative, a group of analysts who reportedly collaborated with the Islamic regime to promote its preferred narrative during nuclear negotiations. Banks and Stefanik argue that the focus of the SO/LIC office should be deterring future attacks by Iranian-backed terrorists, not employing individuals connected to the Iranian regime.
The GOP representatives also took issue with the content of the book being discussed at the event. They criticized the book’s characterization of the Ku Klux Klan and some groups involved in the January 6 Capitol riots as part of the same narrative of right-wing domestic terrorism throughout U.S. history. They pointed out that the KKK was a vehicle for southern Democrats to resist Republican Party reconstruction policies, according to History.com. Furthermore, they noted that none of the January 6 rioters have been convicted on domestic terrorism charges.
The Pentagon has faced scrutiny for its focus on extremism within the military since the January 6 Capitol riots. However, a DOD-funded study released in December found no evidence of an overrepresentation of violent extremists in the military compared to the general population. Most service members charged with engaging in prohibited extremist activity had evidence of violent action or plans for violence. Banks and Stefanik argue that the Pentagon’s failure to understand domestic extremism and its potential exaggeration of the issue have likely harmed the cohesion within the military ranks.
Overall, the Republican lawmakers are urging the DOD to prioritize deterring Iranian-backed terrorism rather than diverting resources to investigate domestic right-wing extremism. They assert that the department’s misguided focus on woke politics and baseless witch hunts only serves to undermine national security and waste taxpayer money.
