A government study that highlighted how far-right violence is the leading source of domestic terrorism in the United States has suddenly vanished from the Department of Justice’s website. The finding was reported by 404 Media, which noted that the study was available online until at least September 12, 2025, according to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
The research, carried out by the National Institute of Justice, showed that extremist attacks linked to white supremacist and far-right groups have long outnumbered those by far-left or other ideological groups.
Now, when people try to visit the page, they are greeted with a note saying the Department of Justice is “reviewing its websites and materials in accordance with recent Executive Orders.” The message adds that during this review, some pages and publications will be “unavailable”.
This sudden disappearance comes at a tense time, following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. The removal of such a critical study raises questions about why the information was taken down and what role recent political events may have played in that decision.
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What the Study Revealed
The deleted study contained clear numbers about extremist violence in the United States over the past three decades. According to the findings, far-right extremists committed more than 220 violent attacks since 1990, responsible for over 500 deaths. By comparison, far-left extremists carried out around 40 attacks, causing fewer than 80 deaths.
The study explained that far-right extremists, including white supremacist groups, have consistently posed the greatest threat in terms of violent events and casualties. Researchers also emphasized that these groups remain active and continue to target both individuals and communities across the country.
It further noted that while far-left extremist incidents have occurred, they remain significantly fewer in number and far less deadly. The numbers showed that far-right groups were responsible for nearly seven times as many deaths compared to far-left groups in the same time period.
The report directly contradicted claims that left-wing groups are the main source of domestic terrorism. Instead, it highlighted that violence from far-right movements has been the dominant force for decades, responsible for the majority of ideologically motivated killings in the country.
Political Climate Surrounding the Removal
The deletion of the study happened shortly after former President Donald Trump and other political figures began blaming left-wing groups for recent violence. In a speech after Kirk’s death, Trump said that negative comparisons made about conservatives were “directly responsible” for the kind of terrorism happening in the country and promised to target those involved.
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Vice President JD Vance also echoed this stance, describing left-wing extremism as a “growing and powerful minority” that needed to be confronted.
Statements from top officials have painted a picture where left-wing violence is portrayed as the main danger. However, the numbers from the DOJ’s own research told a very different story. The report’s removal from the official website, right after these claims were made, has drawn attention to the possibility of political influence over what information remains publicly available.
Adding to the controversy, Elon Musk, who owns the social platform X, criticized his company’s AI assistant Grok after it cited the same research about right-wing violence being more common. Musk called the findings “cringe idiocy” and pledged to “fix” the system.
According to 404 Media, the DOJ has not provided any explanation beyond its website notice. One of the study’s co-authors, Steven Chermak, also declined to comment.
For now, the official DOJ site no longer carries the study that once laid out, in detail, the decades-long trend of far-right extremist violence in the United States. Archived versions of the report, however, remain accessible, keeping the data in public view even as the official source has been scrubbed.