Recruitment of veterans by extremists may increase, top Democrat warns

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Recruitment of veterans by extremists may increase, top Democrat warns

Chair of House veterans affairs committee holding hearings on issue highlighted by veterans’ participation in US Capitol attack

Sergio Olmos
Sun 16 Jan 2022 05.00 EST

A top US lawmaker who heads a congressional committee investigating the targeting of veterans by extremist groups has warned that the problem is a serious one and could get bigger unless it is effectively combated.

In an interview with the Guardian Mark Takano, a Democratic congressman from California, said he was concerned about the recruiting strategy being deployed by violent rightwing extremist groups, especially in America’s increasingly fraught political climate in the wake of the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.

Takano is the chairman of the House veteran affairs committee, which has begun hearings into the rising threat to veterans. The first of three hearings occurred in October last year, but Takano has been concerned about the threat for years.

“Targeting of veterans by violent extremist groups is a problem and it could become a bigger problem if we don’t understand what’s involved and the dimensions of it,” Takano said.

More at

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/16/recruitment-veterans-extremists-mark-takano-democrat