Election threats persist four years after far-right extremists stormed the US Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — After nan 2020 statesmanlike election, thousands of Donald Trump’s astir fervent supporters heeded his telephone to subordinate a “wild” protestation of his defeat. Following Trump’s lies astir a stolen election, hundreds of them stormed nan U.S. Capitol nether nan banners of nan Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and different extremist groups and movements.

Many of those far-right networks person dissolved, splintered aliases receded from nationalist position since nan Jan. 6, 2021, attack. But nan specter of election-related chaos hasn’t vanished pinch them. Political unit remains a persistent threat heading into nan Nov. 5 election, experts warn.

Election officials person been inundated pinch threats, misinformation and nan imaginable of “ election denialist ″ organizations wreaking havoc. The FBI was investigating connected Monday aft fires destroyed hundreds of ballots wrong driblet boxes successful Portland, Oregon, and successful adjacent Vancouver, Washington.

Trump has utilized societal media to beforehand violent conspiracy theories that person go mainstream features of Republican politics. Many, including Trump himself, person tried to recast Capitol rioters arsenic 1776-style patriots and governmental prisoners. Trump besides has vowed to usage nan subject to spell aft “enemies from within.”

Four years ago, astir of nan Trump supporters successful nan mob had nary criminal grounds aliases immoderate group affiliations beyond their shared allegiance to a president who exhorted them to “fight for illustration hell.” That helps explicate why it tin beryllium difficult for authorities to place and ward disconnected threats.

“It only takes 1 personification to origin a batch of damage,” said American University professor Kurt Braddock, who studies extremism.

Heidi Beirich, co-founder of nan Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said nan extremists she monitors don’t look to beryllium fixated connected this year’s predetermination — astatine slightest successful their nationalist chatter online. Many apt learned a instruction from nan Capitol riot defendants who flooded societal media pinch self-incriminating posts before, during and aft nan siege.

“We person nary thought if there’s thing going connected successful encrypted chats,” she added.

During this predetermination cycle, Trump and his friends person stirred up anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigrant sermon successful a measurement that galvanizes extremists, experts say. After Jan. 6, nan Proud Boys staged protests astatine drag queen communicative hours. More recently, Springfield, Ohio, was overwhelmed pinch hoax explosive threats aft Trump and moving mate JD Vance amplified bogus, xenophobic rumors astir Haitian immigrants successful nan city.

All mode of far-right conspiracy theories are spreading virtually unchecked connected mainstream platforms, including a firehose of lies astir nan national government’s consequence to hurricane-ravaged North Carolina, a plaything state.

Trump and his friends often usage his rallies arsenic a level for spewing racism and xenophobia, including 1 Sunday astatine New York’s Madison Square Garden that drew comparisons to a pro-Nazi rally successful 1939. Vice President Kamala Harris said she believes Trump is simply a fascist aft his erstwhile main of staff, John Kelly, said nan erstwhile president praised Adolf Hitler while successful office.

Trump was struck successful nan receptor by gunfire during 1 of two assassination attempts against him this year. He has accused Democrats of fostering a volatile governmental ambiance by accusing him of being a threat to democracy.

Beirich said it could beryllium difficult for authorities to curb election-related threats “because it tin hap each complete nan country.” She and different experts fearfulness extremists will effort to disrupt ballot counting, perchance successful battleground states.

“It feels a spot for illustration a calm earlier nan storm,” she said.

Extremism experts are hardly unsocial successful their fears: About 4 successful 10 registered voters opportunity they are “extremely” aliases “very” concerned astir convulsive attempts to overturn nan results of adjacent month’s election, according to a caller poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Of nan much than 1,500 defendants charged successful nan Jan. 6 attack, much than 200 person been linked to extremist groups aliases movements by national authorities, according to an Associated Press reappraisal of tribunal records.

That includes astir 80 leaders, members aliases associates of nan far-right Proud Boys and complete 30 defendants linked to nan anti-government Oath Keepers. Other groups, including nan Groyper movement, person had smaller numbers of followers charged successful national court.

Four years ago, Trump told nan Proud Boys to “stand backmost and guidelines by” during his first statement against Democrat Joe Biden. Group leaders celebrated Trump’s shout-out and eagerly joined nan fray erstwhile Trump invited supporters to Washington for his “Stop nan Steal” rally.

Today, immoderate of nan top leaders of nan Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are serving situation position of up to 22 years for convulsive land to extremity nan serene transportation of statesmanlike powerfulness from Trump to Biden.

Imprisoning nan groups’ nationalist leaders near a void. For nan Proud Boys, it was partially filled by section chapters that see themselves autonomous and thin to beforehand much utmost ideologies, said Jared Holt, a elder investigation expert astatine nan Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks online hate.

“Their organizational capabilities are greatly diminished from wherever they were successful 2020,” Holt said. “There’s ever nan anticipation that, successful a post-election period, these groups will each of a abrupt find nan information to mobilize and commencement showing up astatine events. But they’ve been beautiful docile this year.”

The Oath Keepers, which nan Yale Law School-educated Stewart Rhodes founded successful 2009, has withered since his apprehension and incarceration.

“It was his baby, and nary 1 has really stepped up to capable his void,” Holt said.

Dozens of Capitol rioters were followers of nan anti-government Three Percenters movement aliases belonged to militia groups pinch names for illustration nan Gray Ghost Partisan Rangers, nan Southern Indiana Patriots and nan Patriot Boys of North Texas. The government’s consequence to Jan. 6 seems to person placed a “huge damper” connected militias, Beirich said.

“They don’t disappear,” she said. “They mightiness popular up location else, but I person to say: Militias successful nan past twelvemonth aliases truthful person been comparatively inactive compared to earlier eras.”

Many different Jan. 6 rioters were inspired by QAnon, which centered connected nan baseless belief that Trump was secretly fighting a Satan-worshipping, kid activity trafficking cabal of salient Democrats and Hollywood elites. The self-described “QAnon Shaman” remains 1 of nan astir recognizable figures from nan riot.

Mike Rothschild, writer of “The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything,” said nan QAnon activity has evolved beyond its bizarre web of “riddles and codes.”

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube cracked down connected QAnon aft Jan. 6, driving believers to platforms for illustration Telegram aliases Trump’s Truth Social. Rothschild said galore of them flocked backmost to Twitter, now called X, aft Elon Musk bought it. He believes QAnon adherents stay “extremely dangerous.”

“They’ve had 4 years to build up their anger and grievance,” he said.