The 250th anniversary celebrations in DC—from the UFC match on the White House lawn to the poorly executed Great American State Fair on the Mall—were already…unusual. But what really struck me were the videos of a right-wing militia group marching through the city.
Patriot Front showed up in the nation’s capital on July 4. Masked and armed with American flags, this white nationalist group borne out of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, is not known for peaceful protests. In fact, it has a history of violence. But thanks to our guest this week, there is a clear path on how to prosecute people who commit violence as part of these militia groups.
Mary McCord is executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and teaches law at Georgetown University. Before that, she had a long career at the US attorney’s office for the District of Columbia. She successfully litigated against the white supremacist and private militias that attended the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, paving the way for future prosecutions of illegal paramilitary groups.
With midterm elections coming this fall, talking about the rise of these groups felt like an important discussion to have. We can all hope for peaceful elections, and thanks to Mary and ICAP, there’s a better pathway for states to deal with these sometimes violent groups. I hope you’ll take a listen to Mary’s conversation with our host Al Letson on this week’s episode of More To The Story.
—Kara McGuirk-Allison, Senior Editor
