Rice, House Dems Call For Investigation Into Domestic Terrorism

U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice, as well as other Democrats that sit on the House of Representatives' Committee on Homeland Security, wrote a public letter to the committee's Republican chairman on Tuesday urging him to hold hearings to study the "troubling rise" in domestic terrorism.

In a letter posted to Twitter by the Homeland Security Democrats, Rice and her 11 other Democratic colleagues called on Chairman Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, as well as the other Republicans on the committee to hold hearings looking into domestic terrorism.

It's not the first time the Democrats have asked the Republicans, which control the committee, to look into the matter. However, this most recent letter was spurred on by the violence over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Despicable violence towards counter-protesters caused the death of a Charlotesville-area woman, Heather Heyer, and injuries to more than 20 others," the Democrats wrote. "This heinous, cowardly act was terrorism, plain and simple. Terrorism is not confined to a single ideology or inspiration."

Related: Homegrown Terror More Common Than Islamic Terror In The U.S.

The Democrats want the hearings to be held because they feel there is no leadership coming from President Donald Trump on the matter.

"The violence in Charlottesville this past weekend was just the latest indication of the growing threat of domestic terrorism in the United States, and we have to confront that threat as aggressively as any other form of ideologically-motivated violence," said Rice, who represents New York's 4th Congressional District. "Now that President Trump has once again refused to take a stand against white supremacists and other extremists on the so-called 'alt-right,' the Homeland Security Committee must take the lead. I urge my Republican colleagues on the committee to stand with us, hold hearings and show the American people that we are ready to work together in a bipartisan way to fully investigate the threat of domestic terrorism and do everything we can to prevent future attacks."

Though McCaul publicly denounced the violence and white supremacists on Twitter, it seems he's unlikely to hold the hearings the Democrats want. Instead, according to the Dallas News, the committee is holding hearings next month on all threats to the nation, which McCaul's aides said would give Democrats a chance to bring up their concerns about domestic terrorism.

Here's the full letter the Democrats wrote:

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images