The U.S. government warns of a "heightened threat" to the upcoming midterm elections Nov. 8 due to a rise in domestic violence extremism, or DVE, that's being driven by ideological grievances, according to an intelligence bulletin obtained by CBS News.
The joint intelligence bulletin, which was published Friday, generally references how the "potential targets of DVE violence include candidates running for public office, elected officials, election workers, political rallies, political party representatives, racial and religious minorities, or perceived ideological opponents."
It also coincides with reports of Paul Pelosi — the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. — being violently attacked at the Pelosi residence, with the assailant using a hammer in the alleged assault.
The Department of Homeland Security, along with the FBI, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and U.S. Capitol Police collectively speculate that "violence will largely be dependent on drivers such as personalized ideological grievances and the accessibility of potential targets throughout the election cycle."
The "most plausible" threat ahead of Election Day, from the perspective of intelligence analysts, involves "lone offenders who leverage election-related issues to justify violence."
The memo also contained the following note: Some "lone offenders" might still be amplifying "false narratives of fraud," dating back to the 2020 election.
"We assess some [domestic violent extremists] motivated by election-related grievances would likely view election-related infrastructure, personnel, and voters involved in the election process as attractive targets — including at publicly accessible locations like polling places, ballot drop-box locations, voter registration sites, campaign events, and political party offices," the bulletin continues.
Another reason for creating disturbances: The intelligence bulletin suggests the offenders "could target components of the election infrastructure in hopes of swaying voting habits, undermining perceptions of the legitimacy of the voting process, or prompting a particular government reaction."
The intelligence bulletin also posted warnings of extremists targeting government officials or federal buildings, in hopes of recreating the Jan. 6, 2021, unrest at the Capitol, according to CBS News.
The memo continued: "Prolonged certification processes could generate increased threats or calls for violence targeting state and local election officials because of potential perceptions of fraud surrounding the results, especially in close or highly contested elections."
As Newsmax chronicled on Monday, a campaign volunteer for Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was "brutally attacked" by four people who allegedly told him Republicans weren't allowed in their neighborhood.
"Last night one of our canvassers wearing my T-shirt and a [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans weren't allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah #Florida," Rubio tweeted Monday. "He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery."
That incident occurred shortly after President Joe Biden decried "mega MAGA Republicans" who "think it's all right to threaten violence" in a Sunday TV interview.