The Justice Department has reportedly scrubbed a study that documented the frequency of far-right violence from its website, according to 404 Media.
“The number of far-right attacks continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism,” the opening paragraph of the study reads. “Since 1990, far-right extremists have committed far more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist extremists, including 227 events that took more than 520 lives. In this same period, far-left extremists committed 42 ideologically motivated attacks that took 78 lives.”
The study, entitled “What NIJ Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism,” was published in January 2024 and hosted on the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs website. Per 404 Media, it was still accessible as recently as Sept. 12, but no longer is. Presently, it’s available via the Wayback Machine, which archives old versions of websites.
Daniel Malmer, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina studying online extremism, flagged the development on Saturday.
“It existed yesterday and is gone today,” Malmer wrote in a post on Bluesky.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This reported action has occurred as President Donald Trump has ramped up attacks on “the left,” whom he’s accused of perpetrating political violence in the wake of the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Trump has also alleged that those on “the left” have contributed to “most of the violence,” a point that’s disproven in the reportedly deleted study and other research about extremism.
Authorities have said that Kirk’s suspected shooter adhered to “leftist ideology,” and disclosed text messages which show him allegedly saying he had “enough of [the activist’s] hatred.” No evidence ties larger organizations to the shooting thus far.
Trump has faced criticism for failing to similarly condemn and acknowledge right-wing violence to the same degree that he’s denounced left-wing violence.
The study’s reported disappearance also comes as Trump has imposed executive actions calling on federal agencies to eliminate “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility ... policies,” prompting many to wipe out information from their websites.
“The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs is currently reviewing its websites and materials in accordance with recent Executive Orders and related guidance,” the page where the study was hosted now reads, according to 404 Media. “During this review, some pages and publications will be unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
As a byproduct of Trump’s executive action, various agencies have limited terms related to subjects including race, gender, and LGBTQ identity. Previously, the Pentagon had taken down and then restored web pages highlighting the contributions of Black veterans and Navajo Code Talkers. At the same time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had removed then restored a tool tracking infectious diseases.