The Heritage Foundation is suing the Department of Homeland Security for withholding information on more than $350,000 in grants awarded to a university program that linked conservative groups, Fox News and the Republican Party to militant neo-Nazis, according to a copy of the filing obtained exclusively by The Post.
Heritage filed a civil suit on Tuesday in Washington, DC, federal court, alleging that DHS failed to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for approximately $352,109 awarded to the University of Dayton for research on “domestic violence extremism and hate movements.” “
“DHS has repeatedly failed to respond to Plaintiffs’ FOIA Requests seeking information about how DHS views Heritage,” attorneys Joseph Edlow and Samuel Dewey stated in the filing.
“Plaintiffs have no remedy other than this lawsuit to determine whether DHS is factual [sic] believe Heritage, Fox News, etc. deserve to be lumped in with the Nazis.”
The Heritage Foundation is suing the Department of Homeland Security for withholding information about more than $350,000 in grants it gave to university programs.AP
The conservative group alleged two federal violations after DHS failed to provide any responsive records and withheld non-exempt records following Heritage’s May 25 FOIA request, adding that the normal 30-day window for a reply was ignored.
Heritage lawyers said they hope the lawsuit will determine whether the group has been “targeted by DHS” because it has been compared to “some of the most foul and dangerous organizations in the United States.”
“DHS does not profile, target, or discriminate against any individual for exercising their constitutional rights protected by the First Amendment,” a DHS spokesperson told The Post.
“Targeted Terrorism and Terrorism Prevention Grant programs have been administered across several administrations and they provide funding for communities to expand their prevention and intervention activities or address gaps in current prevention capabilities.”
The agency told Heritage on Aug. 9 that the FOIA search results were “numerous” and asked the group to scale back its request.
The program links conservative groups, Fox News and the Republican Party to militant neo-Nazi groups. Center for Media Research
Homeland Security approved the funding in fiscal year 2022 as part of its Targeted Terrorism and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program, saying the money will help “develop and implement a module on risk and protective factors for radicalization to terrorism related to media literacy and online critical thinking for students.”
Dayton’s PREVENTS-OH program received the grant after holding a seminar at the university’s Center for Human Rights that laid out the “pyramid of right-wing radicalization” that connects mainstream conservative organizations with neo-Nazis.
Heritage, Fox News, the Republican National Committee and the National Rifle Association, among others, are included in the same pyramid as well-known hate organizations such as the neo-Nazi paramilitary group The Base and the white supremacist website The Daily Stormer.
“DHS has repeatedly failed to respond to Plaintiffs’ FOIA Requests seeking information about how DHS views Heritage,” the lawsuit written by Heritage attorneys Joseph Edlow and Samuel Dewey states.Getty Images
Breitbart News, PragerU, Turning Point USA, the Christian Broadcasting Network, the American Conservative Union and the nonpartisan outlet Quillette are also placed on the pyramid next to the far-right group.
Michael Loadenthal, a researcher from the University of Cincinnati, presented the pyramid during a November 2021 seminar at the Ohio university’s Center for Human Rights, which also featured DHS employees discussing the agency’s Center for Prevention and Partnership Programs in a virtual assembly.
The seminar was later cited in a University of Dayton researcher grant proposal for Homeland Security program funding, which the university accepted in September 2022.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has made the Terrorism Prevention and Targeted Terrorism Grant Program a “high priority” during his tenure. Yuri Gripas – Pool via CNP / MEGA
A spokesperson for the agency previously confirmed to The Post: “This seminar is not funded, organized, or hosted by the Department of Homeland Security.”
“Also, the charts presented were not developed, presented, or endorsed by the Department of Homeland Security, and are not part of any successful grant application to the Department of Homeland Security,” the representative added.
“DHS does not profile, target or discriminate against any individual for exercising their constitutional rights protected by the First Amendment.”
While in office, President Biden has overseen more than 80 grants at DHS to combat domestic extremism, totaling nearly $40 million in taxpayer money. AFP via Getty Images
The Media Research Center first obtained documents about the seminar in May and indicated that Dayton’s program page was “rapidly scrubbed” after reports about its content.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has made the Terrorism and Targeted Terrorism Prevention Grant Program a “high priority” during his tenure, according to another internal memo obtained by MRC.
During his time in office, President Biden has overseen more than 80 grants at DHS to combat domestic extremism, disbursing a total of $40 million in taxpayer money.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
