What happened in Charlottesville fits the definition of domestic terrorism. On one side.
What happened in Charlottesville fits the definition of domestic terrorism. On one side. jcarillet / Getty

Because of everything that's happened this week, I've been coming back to the legal definition of domestic terrorism. Here it is:

(5) the term “domestic terrorism” means activities that—
(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
(B) appear to be intended—
(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

Abortion clinic attacks are one of the most insidious examples of domestic terrorism. And violent white nationalism—which the Equivocator in Chief has failed, on multiple occasions, to disavow—certainly fits the definition.

The United States has long held anti-terrorism rhetoric when it comes to foreign policy. We've been less willing to acknowledge what domestic terrorism really looks like. This is what it looks like. There aren't two sides to it.