On January 19, 2021, The Soufan Center hosted a webinar on the implications of the attack on the Capitol and ramifications for national security planning, practice, and policy going forward. The event featured a “fireside chat” between Rep. Elissa Slotkin, U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 8th District, and Ali Soufan, Founder of The Soufan Center (TSC), as well as a panel discussion with Naureen Chowdhury Fink, Executive Director, TSC; Jason Blazakis, Senior Research Fellow, TSC; and Patrick Skinner, Contributor, The Soufan Center. The event focused on the risks posed by white supremacy and disinformation and the implications for law enforcement operational practices and policy.
The mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, aimed to prevent Congress from fulfilling its constitutionally mandated duty to certify the 2020 Presidential election results. The group of insurrectionists included QAnon, the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and a wide array of anti-government and white supremacist groups. Several glaring questions arose about the influence and rise of white supremacist and anti-government extremist threats, widespread disinformation campaigns, and their implications for national security and counterterrorism planning.