Getting Real About Tesla Attacks: Domestic Terrorism or Mere Vandalism?
Trump brands individuals damaging Tesla vehicles as terrorists
In an unexpected twist, the Trump administration is looking to broaden the definition of domestic terrorism to crack down on a series of Tesla attacks. These assaults, which seemingly express discontent towards Tesla CEO Elon Musk's controversial government involvement, have left critics scratching their heads over the use of such a term after Trump's mass pardons for January 6 rioters.
Critics will undoubtedly find this move ironic, especially given Trump's pardons for those who stormed the Capitol to disrupt the 2020 election results confirmation. Under President Joe Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Department of Justice has already outlined a new national strategy to combat domestic terrorism, following the January 6 incidents and a wave of deadly mass shootings by White nationalists and right-wing extremists.
The term "domestic terrorism" appears to claim a new significance under Trump, as the FBI and law enforcement agencies will now focus on anti-corporate vandals targeting vehicles. 'Terrorism' typically isn't applied to vandalism cases, according to Daniel Byman, director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "These attacks seemed designed not to harm people," he asserted.
Domestic Terrorism: A Desecrated Tesla is More Than Just a Car
Attorney General Pam Bondi described Tesla desecration as "nothing short of domestic terrorism" in a Tuesday statement, threatening to impose severe consequences on those involved. Bondi, however, failed to provide evidence of external coordination behind these attacks.
Incidents of Tesla vandalism have been documented across the country, with countless posts on social media. Federal prosecutors charged a woman in Colorado for using incendiary devices to target Tesla vehicles, and federal agents in South Carolina arrested a man in connection to a fire set at a Tesla charging station. Their opposition to Musk's Department of Government Efficiency seems to be the driving factor behind these attacks.
Following an incident in Las Vegas where several Teslas at a repair center were shot and set on fire, Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department labelled it as a "targeted attack on a Tesla facility." The FBI's joint terrorism task force is currently investigating the Las Vegas attack.
But What is Domestic Terrorism, Really?
Domestic terrorism isn't a standalone crime with specific penalties under U.S. law. Instead, it is defined as acts that are dangerous to human life, violate federal or state law, and are intended:
- to intimidate or coerce a civilian population,
- to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or
- to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.
Allegations, Without Evidence, of a Conspiracy
Trump claimed the vandalism is terrorism during a Fox News interview, without evidence, and attempted to fuel a conspiracy theory that the attacks are part of a coordinated and funded campaign. Musk also saw coordination in the violence but didn't provide specific allegations. The lack of concrete evidence suggests that the attacks, though illegal, may not be part of a widespread, organized campaign.
John Miller, CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, advised prosecutors to approach allegations of domestic terrorism clinically rather than through a political lens. If firing bullets into Tesla dealerships or throwing Molotov cocktails inside cars in the lot is being done for political reasons, it could certainly categorize these acts as domestic terrorism, he said. However, suspects would be charged under standard federal or local statutes, as they were for January 6 rioters.
Despite the justice system's verdict, Trump continues to view January 6 rioters as "hostages." He's now back in the White House, seeking to imprison anyone coordinating an attack on a Tesla dealership.
"Once politics enters the picture of what is or is not domestic terrorism, this is where we start to see imbalance," Miller concluded.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi, labeling Tesla desecration as "domestic terrorism," faces criticism for her lack of evidence supporting external coordination behind these attacks.
- Tesla vandalism, labeled as domestic terrorism by some, seems to be driven by opposition to Elon Musk's involvement in government, as informed by multiple incidents of vehicle targeting across the country.
- Under the FBI's definition, a Tesla attack that intimidates or coerces a population, or influences government policy, could be classified as domestic terrorism, but the lack of concrete evidence suggests that these attacks, while illegal, may not be part of a widespread, organized campaign.
