A Discussion with John Carlin

On October 14, 2015, the Program on Extremism (POE) at the George Washington University and Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) hosted Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin for a discussion on the persistent and evolving threat of domestic terrorism in the United States. Following his prepared remarks and the announcement of a new position—the Domestic Terrorism Counsel (DTC)—Carlin answered questions from moderators, POE Director Lorenzo Vidino and the Manager of SPLC’s Intelligence Project, Heidi Beirich.

The panelists discussed both the current dynamics of domestic terrorism and the federal government’s efforts to overcome various legal challenges in the prosecution of such cases. Collaboration between various emerging initiatives, such as POE and the DTC, and existing partnerships such as that between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and  SPLC play an essential role in understanding such a fluid phenomenon.