Senator Eric Schmitt | U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt
Senator Eric Schmitt | U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt
Senator Eric Schmitt has raised concerns about the methodology and categorization practices in the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) reports on political violence, specifically the "Murder and Extremism" series. In a series of tweets posted on October 11, 2025, Schmitt questioned the reliability of these widely-cited reports and their treatment of violent acts across the political spectrum.
In his first post, Schmitt stated: "Take the ADL's 'Murder and Extremism' reports—one of the most widely-cited 'authorities' on political violence. The reports cite a wide range of totally apolitical crimes committed by people loosely associated with right-wing groups as instances of 'right-wing extremism': https://t.co/utqHBEsoQA" (October 11, 2025).
He continued his criticism in a subsequent tweet: "Meanwhile, when left-wing extremists commit violence, the same researchers quietly recategorize those crimes as 'non-ideological.' When Antifa burns police stations, when BLM mobs torch cities, when trans terrorists shoot up Christian schools—it all disappears from the dataset." (October 11, 2025).
Schmitt also highlighted specific incidents he believes were omitted from ADL data: "Meanwhile, example after example of cut-and-dry left-wing political violence—Luigi Mangione's assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson; transgender shooter Audrey Hale’s anti-Christian Covenant School massacre; etc—are mysteriously absent from the ADL's datasets. https://t.co/me4tB4tKh2" (October 11, 2025).
The Anti-Defamation League is a nonprofit organization known for its research into hate crimes and extremism. Its "Murder and Extremism" report is frequently referenced by media outlets and policymakers to assess trends in extremist-related killings in the United States. The ADL has faced periodic scrutiny over its classification methods for acts of violence linked to various ideological motivations.
Senator Eric Schmitt represents Missouri in the U.S. Senate. He previously served as Missouri Attorney General before being elected to federal office.
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