The PBS documentary series FRONTLINE is airing an investigation into extremist groups and their efforts to engage in mainstream politics.
Karim Hajj is a producer of the new documentary, “American Insurrection.” While being interviewed on SDPB's radio program In the Moment, he said many of the groups include veterans and active-duty military personnel.
“I think that we have to look at what draws people to join the military to begin with. And often it's a sense of you know, wanting to protect and wanting to join a force that is going to… you know, the line that the military always says, ‘protect against enemies foreign and domestic,’ and what's remarkable is that's a line we hear all the time in these extremist movements. They really do feel that there are domestic enemies that they need to protect the citizens of the United States from and that's why they're going out and doing these things.”
Hajj says this appeal to military personnel is a systemic problem.
“If you are a member of the military and the politicians that you've elected and the even members of law enforcement that you've elected are saying, ‘Hey, your liberty is being trampled upon. Your government is behaving tyrannically.’ You know, liberate your state, right? We saw Donald Trump tweet that. ‘Liberate Michigan.’ And if you're a member of the military, you could be forgiven for thinking, ‘Hey, I need to uphold my oath here.’”
Hajj says the military is taking the problem more seriously since the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.