WA AGO task force struggles to define ‘domestic violent extremism’

(The Center Square) - The Attorney General’s Office’s Domestic Extremism and Mass Violence Task Force has released its preliminary report on how to treat the issues from a public health perspective.

However, it still faces a major challenge regarding what exactly constitutes “domestic violent extremism.” and whether the definition will be affected by the ideological views of the task force members.

The preliminary report notes that “there is no universally agreed upon definition of domestic extremism (DE), and the term is undefined in the Revised Code of Washington.”

The report instead lists a variety of different definitions provided by both the FBI as well as private organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL describes “extremism” as belief systems that exist outside of mainstream beliefs and “often seek radical changes to the nature government, religion, or society.”

It also cites the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland, which defines “far-right extremism” as individuals or groups that support violence, explicitly or “implicitly,” and fit descriptions such as the following:

fiercely nationalisticsuspicious of centralized federal and state authorityreverent of individual libertybelief that one’s personal and/or national “way of life” is under attacksupport of and/or inclusion in misogynistic subculturesopposition of women’s reproductive health choices specifically related to abortion.

The report also cites the FBI’s five categories of domestic extremism, which includes “involuntary celibate violent extremism.”

Declaring that “there is a long history of domestic extremism in Washington State,” the report cites numerous historical examples, ranging from Ku Klux Klan public rallies in Seattle a century ago to off-duty Seattle Police Officers attending the Stop the Steal Rally on Jan. 6, 2021, which the report claimed “concluded with an armed and deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capital Building.”

None of the rally or protest participants, including the off-duty SPD officers, have been charged with insurrection for Jan. 6. The only person killed in connection with the rally and subsequent riot was Ashli Babbit, who was shot by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd. Babbit’s family and the Trump Administration recently agreed upon a $6 million settlement over her death.

Left out of the report’s instances of domestic extremism were the 1999 Seattle WTO riots as well as the CHAZ in 2020, in which an entire section of Capitol Hill was barricaded by violent protesters after the SPD abandoned their East Precinct station.

The report also does not mention violent protesters causing $1 million in damage to the University of Washington’s engineering building last month, resulting in 31 arrests.

The task force is made up of 28 members. Although law enforcement organizations and departments are included, the task force includes the following members representing the following groups:

United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance Washington (UTOPIA Washington), a "queer and trans people of color-led organization."Freedom Project, which supports “incarcerated individuals and those recently released through the practice of Nonviolent Communication, mindfulness, racial equity and anti-oppression.”Washington Immigrant Defense Network, which provides funding and support services for lawyers representing "low-income detained immigrants.”UNIDOS, a Snohomish County-based group that seeks a “positive and sustainable relationship based on equitable enforcement, community engagement, and trust between law enforcement offices and civilians.”Western States Center, which has opposed President Trump’s executive orders regarding invasion, calling them “false and bigoted.”Peace & Justice Action League, which lists among its 2024 priorities “ending mass incarceration and systemic racism in our city-county carceral system” and “countering White Nationalism.”

When The Center Square reached out to Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, for comment, he wrote that the task force “is a pathetic joke and a shameful waste of Washington taxpayers' money. If our current State AG had any sense, he would disband this 'Task Force now that it has produced its imbecilic report. That report dithers on for nearly 30 taxpayer-funded pages, full of harebrained jargon like ‘reintegration and community healing’ and ‘tertiary prevention.’”

He added that the report “cites a patchwork of state bureaucratic agency rules in a desperate effort to cobble together some working definitions. It fails. None of this should surprise anyone who's been paying attention. The 'Task Force' has always been an unserious project and its members, unserious people. They are a motley collection of low-level, left-wing political hacks with neither practical experience nor rigorous education.”

In an email to The Center Square, psychologist and writer Valerie Tarico wrote “the growth of violence and extremism is concerning. Potential causes the report mentions include misogyny and loneliness. To me, those require a deeper dive. People sense where they are wanted and unwanted, and extremist influencers and groups are inviting. If we want to address the problems, we need to listen — really listen with compassion and curiosity — to the lived experience of individuals.”

She added that “technologies and social norms are changing fast, and the roles that provided self-respect, economic opportunity, and connection for past generations aren't available to many. Our institutions lag in responding to these changes. Many are still trying to free girls and women from old constraints. This work is unfinished, and that makes it harder to see when boys and men are struggling too (or, honestly, the instances where we have overshot). Disregard or disparagement by social institutions, and exclusion from funding and programs that offer support, can feed feelings of isolation and resentment and make extremism more appealing.”

She also noted that a proposed state commission on boys and men could “open up conversations about adjustments to our institutions that could practically improve outcomes for men and boys and, critically, show men and boys that society cares about them and values them.”

The task force’s final report and recommendations are due to the governor and the state Legislature by Dec. 1, 2026.