Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic bill that would grant the federal government new powers to probe alleged domestic terrorism on Thursday.
The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022 would require the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to adopt new procedures for investigating and monitoring domestic terrorism.
The bill would direct the federal government to create an “interagency task force” to screen “white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration of the uniformed services and federal law enforcement agencies,” according to its official summary.
The bill failed to pass the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster in a 47-47 vote.
The law previously passed the House in a near party-line vote, with Rep. Adam Kinzinger joining Democrats in support of the bill.
Sen. Rand Paul took the floor to criticize the bill as an insult to police and the military.
Paul rejected the notion that police and the military are hosts to a neo-Nazi infiltration.
Sen. Rand Paul tears into insulting bill from democrats claiming police and military infiltration of white supremacy “It’s slanderous“. pic.twitter.com/4WZSXZ4LSR
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) May 26, 2022
“It would be the Democrat plan to brand our police as white supremacists and neo-Nazis,” said Paul of the bill, rejecting the notion of what he called a “thought police” for the military and law enforcement.
“I’ve met policemen throughout Kentucky and I’ve not met one policeman motivated or consumed with any kind of racial rage.”
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