WASHINGTON — Elizabeth Warren has released a proposal to combat white nationalism that includes making prosecuting crimes committed by hate groups a top priority for the departments of Justice and Homeland Security.
The Massachusetts senator and Democratic presidential candidate promises to use both agencies to prosecute white nationalist crimes involving threats to life as well as ones linked to broader, previously violent organizations.
Warren said Tuesday she’ll direct the FBI to investigate significant hate crimes and improve law enforcement training while ordering state and local governments to collect better data on bias-motivated crimes.
Warren also says she’ll direct federal prosecutors to seek similar penalties for similar crimes, including consistently designating hate crimes as domestic terrorism.
And Warren’s proposal calls for overhauling police work nationwide, seeking to ensure investigators use evidence effectively without violating individual rights.