Homeland Security Under Fire for Associating Conservatives with Neo-Nazis
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finds itself amidst controversy, following Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) and co-host Ben Ferguson’s heated criticism on their Verdict podcast. The two targeted DHS for equating Christian, conservative, and Republican entities with neo-Nazis, as revealed by MRC Free Speech America. Cruz expressed outrage over DHS awarding $352,109 to the University of Dayton, which initiated a contentious program called PREVENTS-OH. The situation raises concerns about the radicalization of the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant (TVTP) under the Biden administration.
TVTP, originally an Obama-era initiative targeting Islamic terrorism, appears to have taken a drastic new direction. Under the Biden administration, 80 grants have been awarded via the program, totaling nearly $40 million. According to Cruz, however, the new administration’s focus is grossly misplaced. He pointed to a PREVENTS-OH seminar that aligned former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with genocidal dictators.
Among a list of controversial TVTP-tied seminar speakers, Cruz particularly condemned Michael Loandethal—a self-proclaimed Antifa member and research fellow at the University of Cincinnati. Loandethal has been involved with abortion-providing and openly supports left-wing violence on social media.
Loandenthal’s notorious “Pyramid of Far-Right Radicalization” presentation associated entities such as
