Right-wing extremists are recruiting American veterans — and Republicans don’t want to know

"The attempted takeover of the US Capitol by a group of pro-Trump insurrectionists — including military veterans — who aimed to disrupt certification of Joe Biden’s electoral college victory was a manifestation of rising right-wing extremist activity that has been ignored or downplayed for political reasons for years, former Department of Homeland Security officials and extremism experts say.

Since late last week, the seat of America’s legislature has been ringed by increasingly heavy layers of physical security measures meant to prevent a repeat of the 6 January attack. US officials have judged the threat to President-elect Biden’s inauguration to be so severe that National Guard troops have been quartered in the Capitol building itself for the first time since the country’s 1861-1865 civil war.

While initial reports cast the attack as a spontaneous event following a speech given by Trump that same day, court documents and further investigations indicate that it was carried out in part by numerous individuals with military experience".