Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday labeled the violent streak of vandalism against Tesla vehicles and showrooms as “domestic terrorism” — an issue Democrats have rallied against for years. Fox News Digital asked 13 Democrats who sponsored legislation to combat domestic terrorism if they agreed with Bondi’s distinction. None of the lawmakers responded.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the ongoing Tesla attacks across the U.S. From Oregon to Massachusetts, Tesla cars and facilities have been vandalized in at least seven locations. What began as protests against Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have escalated into violent incidents, including shots fired at a building, destroyed dealership windows and charging stations set on fire.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration launched the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism in 2021, identifying domestic terrorism as a major national security threat, particularly in the aftermath of the U.S. Capitol attacks on Jan. 6. Congressional Democrats led their own legislative efforts to combat domestic terrorism during the Biden administration.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and 10 Senate Democrats introduced the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2023, which was designed to enhance the government’s ability to prevent domestic terrorism. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022 also targeted domestic terrorism, with a focus on combating “white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration.”
Despite Democrats leading activism against domestic terrorism during the Biden administration, the Democratic response to the ongoing Tesla attacks has been noticeably silent. One Democrat, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., urged his colleagues to condemn the Tesla vandalism in an X post last week.
“There is zero tolerance for acts of vandalism against Tesla. Spraying the words “nazi cars” or lighting fire to dealership and chargers is wrong. Period. All Democrats should condemn it,” he said.
While now refusing to condemn Tesla vandalism, Democrats have not missed an opportunity to vocalize their opposition to domestic terrorism in the past.
“As I have said on many occasions, I condemn all violence, regardless of ideology,” Durbin said in 2023 while urging colleagues to support the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act.
“We have to act decisively to address the poison of white supremacy and domestic terrorism in America. It’s a poison, it’s a cancer, it’s destroying our society. It shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It’s not a Democratic issue or Republican issue, dealing with the crisis of violent white supremacy. It is an American issue,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in 2022.
