A senior official in the Trump administration's Department of Justice (DOJ) has sparked outrage after suggesting that the agency may investigate individuals who responded to a violent and racist provocateur in Dearborn, Michigan.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon appeared to take cues from far-right influencers and encourage Jake Lang, a notorious insurrectionist with a history of hate speech, to come forward with information for an investigation.
The controversy unfolded when Lang, who had been convicted of assaulting police at the US Capitol on January 6, took to Twitter and posted a nine-minute video selectively highlighting brief moments of counter-protesters reacting to hours of racial slurs, taunting, and harassment. The clip was carefully edited to portray Dearborn Muslims as violent and intolerant.
Dhillon's response, however, drew widespread criticism for its tone-deafness and willingness to prioritize the provocateur over his victims. When asked if she would consider investigating Lang's hate crimes, Dhillon didn't address the harassment, slurs, or intimidation he engaged in during his visit to Dearborn.
The incident raises questions about the Trump administration's priorities and their approach to combating hate crimes. The DOJ has a history of targeting Black and brown people while ignoring white supremacists with violent records.
In this case, the agency seems more interested in investigating Muslim Americans who responded physically to Lang's provocations than addressing the actual harm caused by his actions.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon appeared to take cues from far-right influencers and encourage Jake Lang, a notorious insurrectionist with a history of hate speech, to come forward with information for an investigation.
The controversy unfolded when Lang, who had been convicted of assaulting police at the US Capitol on January 6, took to Twitter and posted a nine-minute video selectively highlighting brief moments of counter-protesters reacting to hours of racial slurs, taunting, and harassment. The clip was carefully edited to portray Dearborn Muslims as violent and intolerant.
Dhillon's response, however, drew widespread criticism for its tone-deafness and willingness to prioritize the provocateur over his victims. When asked if she would consider investigating Lang's hate crimes, Dhillon didn't address the harassment, slurs, or intimidation he engaged in during his visit to Dearborn.
The incident raises questions about the Trump administration's priorities and their approach to combating hate crimes. The DOJ has a history of targeting Black and brown people while ignoring white supremacists with violent records.
In this case, the agency seems more interested in investigating Muslim Americans who responded physically to Lang's provocations than addressing the actual harm caused by his actions.
, it looks like some people are still trying to justify violence and hate speech. I mean, come on, if you're going to stir up trouble, you can't just claim that others reacted violently when it's clear what was happening. The fact that the DOJ is even considering investigating the victims of Lang's harassment is ridiculous - shouldn't they be focusing on preventing this kind of behavior from happening in the first place? And what's with the tone-deaf response from Assistant Attorney General Dhillon? It's like she's more interested in protecting Lang than holding him accountable for his actions. The DOJ needs to take a hard look at its priorities and make sure it's not just sweeping things under the rug when it comes to white supremacists who are committing violence. 
This is so messed up! Harmeet Dhillon's response is super tone-deaf and it feels like she's just enabling Jake Lang's hate speech 
. I mean, come on! The guy has a history of violence and harassment, but instead of investigating him, the DOJ is looking into the people who pushed back against him? That's not justice, that's victim-blaming 
. And what really gets me is how this reflects the Trump administration's priorities – they're always more interested in targeting marginalized groups than holding white supremacists accountable for their crimes 
. We need to be focusin' on condemnIN' hate crimes, not tryin' to spin 'em into somethin' they're not 
.
I remember when Trump was president and everyone thought he was a joke... now it looks like some of his people are still trying to make a joke out of this whole thing 
. Like, what's next? Are they gonna investigate people for disagreeing with Lang on Twitter too? 
How convenient that he's getting attention now. I'm all for addressing hate crimes, but this whole thing just feels like a publicity stunt to me...
I mean, Lang is basically a far-right influencer who loves to stir up drama, and now he gets to be the hero of some sort of DOJ investigation. It's just not right. And what really gets me is that they're doing this under the Trump administration, which has a history of... let's say, "complicated" relationships with people of color.
. I mean, what does that even say about our country?! We're supposed to be a place where everyone's equal and protected, but apparently not 
. And btw, I've been following this guy Jake Lang for ages, he's literally the most disgusting person on the internet... I'm just so frustrated that people like him are getting a free pass while others get slammed with investigations 
What a joke! Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon is literally rewarding a notorious insurrectionist like Jake Lang with an investigation. Meanwhile, she's being total tone-deaf about the real victims - Dearborn Muslims who got harassed and taunted by Lang. Like, what's next? Are we gonna investigate the Muslims for defending themselves against hate speech? 
The whole thing feels super biased towards white people and ignores the impact that people of color face from hate crimes. We need better than this