Source: Robert Nickelsberg / Getty
An anonymous hacker’s latest exploit has unearthed a tremendous controversy that discovered hundreds of law enforcement members, military personnel, and even federal government employees in the state of New Jersey being enrolled in the far-right, anti-government militia known as the Oath Keepers.
The hack, as reported by Gothamist, found that the members in the militia that was a prime instigator in the infamous storming of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6th, 2021 represented a range from police officers and first responders to retired and active government personnel. Further investigation by the outlet corroborated much of the information about the more than 500 New Jersey residents involved that were found by the hacker, who sent the data to Distributed Denial of Secrets, a non-profit journalism organization.
Alexandra Altman, the spokesperson for New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, said of the findings that groups like the Oath Keepers “endanger the fabric of our democracy.” She went on to also say, “Governor Murphy has zero-tolerance for those who willingly participate in acts of domestic terrorism and those who do so will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” This comes on the heels of a similar finding involving numerous individuals that are active in the New York Police Department.
There is currently no law in the state of New Jersey prohibiting public officials including law enforcement from enlisting in the Oath Keepers or other white nationalist groups such as the Three Percenters or Proud Boys who were also involved in the attack on the Capitol and Congress. When contacted about this, the state Attorney General’s office stated that police departments and other public departments have authority to install policies that employees’ conduct and personal associations do not conflict with their duties so long as the policies don’t infringe on the employees’ civil rights.
But the office also confirmed they are working on ways to prevent extremists from further infiltrating the state’s police organizations.
