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UJ
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The administration of President Donald Trump is working to broaden the interpretation of domestic terrorism in response to a series of incidents where Teslas have been shot at and set ablaze, seemingly to protest CEO Elon Musk’s controversial influence over the US government.
Those critical of Musk and Trump will likely find it ironic that the term “domestic terrorism” is being applied to actions against electric vehicles, especially after Trump granted mass pardons to over 1,000 individuals who participated in the January 6 Capitol riot aimed at overturning the 2020 election results.
Following the January 6 events, Attorney General Merrick Garland under President Joe Biden’s administration announced a national approach to addressing domestic terrorism, in light of numerous violent mass shootings related to White nationalism and right-wing extremism.
Under Trump, the term may shift in connotation as the FBI and law enforcement agencies turn their attention toward anti-corporate vandalism aimed at vehicles.
Daniel Byman, director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, expressed that typically, the term “terrorism” isn’t associated with vandalism.
“There is a significant amount of property damage often motivated by political motives, yet this is rarely referred to as terrorism. These attacks seem intended to avoid causing personal harm,” Byman stated.
In a statement released Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled the attacks on Tesla as “nothing short of domestic terrorism,” vowing to “impose harsh penalties on those implicated in these acts, including those orchestrating and financing such offenses.”
Bondi did not provide details about who may be orchestrating the vandalism, leading to questions regarding the existence of any evidence supporting such coordination.
Vandals Nationwide
There have been reported cases of Tesla vandalism in the Pacific Northwest, the Northeast, and various locations across the country, alongside numerous social media posts detailing similar incidents.
Federal prosecutors in Colorado charged a woman for utilizing incendiary devices—specifically Molotov cocktails—to target Tesla vehicles, while federal agents in South Carolina apprehended an individual linked to a fire started at a Tesla charging station, according to reports by the Associated Press. These accusations stemmed from the individual’s expressed opposition to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Bondi’s statement followed a recent event in Las Vegas where Teslas at a repair facility were shot and ignited; this incident was characterized by Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department as a “targeted attack on a Tesla facility.” In light of this, police have heightened their presence around Tesla locations.
UJ’s Josh Campbell reported that the FBI’s joint terrorism task force is looking into the incident in Las Vegas.
While domestic terrorism itself is not a defined crime for which one can be charged, it is outlined in US law as actions that pose a threat to human life, contravene state or federal regulations, and are intended to
- coerce or intimidate a civilian population;
- influence the policy of a government through intimidation or coercion;
- affect the actions of a government via mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.
During a Fox News interview on Tuesday, Trump agreed that the vandalism qualifies as terrorism and suggested, without evidence, that these attacks might be orchestrated as part of a funded conspiracy.
“I believe that you will discover they’re being funded by individuals who are significantly politically aligned with the left,” Trump claimed, without identifying anyone associated with such a campaign or the basis for his assertions.
Musk, too, perceives some element of coordination in the violence, though he did not specify any particular allegations.
“I suspect there are larger forces at play,” Musk stated in his own Fox News interview on Tuesday. “I mean, I don’t know who’s funding it and who’s organizing it because this is just insane.”
Currently, there’s no evidence suggesting the existence of a coordinated campaign; however, the acts ranging from tire slashing to Molotov cocktail attacks are clearly illegal and likely ineffective if they aim to oppose Musk’s aggressive efforts to trim down federal governance.
John Miller, UJ’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, emphasized that prosecutors ought to examine domestic terrorism allegations from a clinical standpoint rather than a political one.
“If shots are fired into Tesla dealership windows or Molotov cocktails are thrown inside vehicles on a lot for political motives, that would likely fall under the definition of domestic terrorism,” he stated in an email.
Individuals involved would be prosecuted similar to those from the January 6 riots, under conventional federal or local laws.
Some individuals involved on January 6, particularly members of groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, faced charges, trials, and convictions for grave offenses, including seditious conspiracy, prior to Trump’s commutation of their sentences.
Despite the legal findings, Trump has characterized January 6 rioters as “hostages.” Now back in the White House, he is urging imprisonment for anyone orchestrating an attack against Tesla dealerships.
“When politics comes into play regarding what constitutes domestic terrorism, we start to observe discrepancies,” Miller stated.
