Maxine Waters: "You See How Much They Want To Kill Me"

At the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said there are voices on the internet, specifically on Breitbart and YouTube, that want to kill her. "I think we should focus a lot on domestic terrorism also. So I would like to ask again, given all that you have said about how difficult it is and the privacy concerns, do you have any thoughts about what we can do to begin to deal with the KKK, the white nationalists, the - the extremists, the Alt-Right?" Waters asked. "They're on the internet, Breitbart, if you look at YouTube, you see how much they want to kill me and others. What can we do? Anybody, any one of you," Waters said. <blockquote>REP. MAXINE WATERS (D-CA): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. In the years since 9/11, our nation has witnessed its share of attacks by homegrown violent extremists, inspired by foreign terrorist organizations. This includes the San Bernardino shooters, who tragically took the lives of 14, and wounded 21 others, as well as Pulse nightclub shooter, who callously to the lives of 49, and wounded another 53 innocent victims. However, as the recent events in Charlottesville, which took the life of Heather Heyer and two VA state troopers, have reminded us, extremist radicalized by foreign terrorist groups are not the only terrorists with the capacity and will to target and kill American citizens. Indeed, domestic terrorist attacks have become more frequent in recent years. I just took a look at what has happened since 1992. Ruby Ridge standoff, three killed, two wounded; Oklahoma City bombing, 168 killed, over 680 wounded; 2009 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting, one killed, one wounded; 2012 Wisconsin temple shooting, killed six, wounded four; 2013 Los Angeles International Airport shooting attack on TSA officer, killed one, wounded six; 2015 Planned Parenthood shooting, killed three, wounded nine; 2017 Portland train attack, killed two, wounded one; Charlottesville car ram and attack, killed three, wounded 19. And I'm worried about these domestic attacks. As a matter of fact, I was forced to focus on it a little bit more yesterday in my office in Los Angeles. One of the people opening the mail opened an envelope, and a bunch of powder fell out with a note about me dying, and killing Hillary Clinton, on, and on, and on. This is getting more frequent. And I know that we have privacy concerns, and information sharing, and all of that. But I'm wondering, what can we do to get a handle or fix on these lone killers? And not simply just say we -- we throw our hands up, and we can't really do anything because of privacy concerns. And I'm wondering, particularly in our financial institutions and banks, et cetera, if questionnaires that does not invade privacy, but simply ask questions about what the intentions are for the use of certain money under certain circumstances, and those people can say whatever they want to, and they can respond in whatever they -- way they want to. But if resources are used to go out and commit killings, et cetera, they will have lied on the questionnaire, and perhaps that can trigger some kind of actions to begin to prevent this kind of domestic terrorism. I think we should focus a lot on domestic terrorism also. So I would like to ask again, given all that you have said about how difficult it is and the privacy concerns, do you have any thoughts about what we can do to begin to deal with the KKK, the white nationalists, the - the extremists, the Alt-Right? They're on the internet, Breitbart, if you look at YouTube, you see how much they want to kill me and others. What can we do? Anybody, any one of you.</blockquote>