California Rep. Lou Correa, who sits on the Homeland panel, was the first Democrat to call for hearings. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Democrats press GOP to scrutinize rise in white supremacy

House Democrats are calling on their GOP colleagues to hold congressional hearings on the rise of white supremacy and domestic terrorism following Saturday’s deadly outburst in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee are asking panel Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) to examine racist fringe groups, including those that organized Saturday’s violent protest against the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the University of Virginia campus.


The rally, whose attendees carried Confederate flags and swastikas, turned deadly after an alleged white supremacist drove a car through a group of counter-protesters advocating equality. One person died and more than a dozen remain in serious or critical condition.

California Rep. Lou Correa, who sits on the Homeland panel, was the first Democrat to call for hearings.

“Yesterday’s horrific acts against innocent Americans were clear acts of terrorism,” he said. “Our country has a homegrown terrorism problem we refuse to address. That ends now. We must hold hearings and finally address that terrorism inflicted by white supremacy extremists is destroying our country.”

A spokesman for Homeland ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) confirmed to POLITICO that committee Democrats were organizing to increase pressure on the panel to schedule hearings on white supremacist terrorism.

Homeland Democrats have already called for such hearings twice this year to no avail. A spokesperson for McCaul did not respond to request for comment.

The issue is going beyond the committee. Top House Democrats will discuss the matter during a leadership call and Democratic caucus conference call scheduled for Tuesday, according to a senior Democratic source. House Judiciary Democrats likewise held a call and are coordinating efforts to ramp up pressure on Republicans to address the growing threat.

Democrats are starting to grow impatient with their GOP counterparts after Saturday. One Democratic source on the Homeland panel said Republicans for some time have been receiving law enforcement notices saying white supremacist extremism pose serious threats of lethal violence. One such notice, dated May 10, was first reported by Foreign Policy on Monday.

“We must not only see real action from the President to address the threat posed by domestic terrorism, but we must also see action from those in his party in Congress,” Thompson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, multiple requests to simply hold hearings on domestic terrorism have been ignored by House Republicans.”

He added: “They must realize this error and join us to work together to find solutions to counter this real and present threat. Failing to do so clearly puts American lives at risk.”

In a Monday night letter to McCaul, Correa said the panel "has the responsibility to protect the American people from the threat of terrorism."

"This committee was created to prevent terrorism," the letter says. "As a nation, we need to address the white supremacy movement. White supremacist domestic terrorists cannot be allowed to continue to terrorize Americans."