WASHINGTON — The FBI is conducting about 1,000 investigations of suspected white supremacists or other types of domestic terrorists who might be planning violence, top federal officials told Senate lawmakers Wednesday.
Christopher A. Wray, in his first congressional testimony as FBI director, confirmed that his office has about 1,000 inquiries that people generally categorize as ‘‘domestic terrorism’’ — a catchall term often used to describe those motivated to commit violence in furtherance of racist causes.
Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, prompted Wray to confirm the number. FBI officials have previously said they had about 1,000 ongoing investigations in the United States of suspects who may be inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group to commit violence.
Wednesday’s hearing was the first public indication the FBI is dealing with a similar number of so-called domestic terrorism cases.
‘‘We’re very busy,’’ Wray said. Asked by Johnson if there are any differences in how they handle white supremacist terrorism cases versus Islamic State terrorism cases, he said there are not, except for the criminal laws that may be applied.
Federal law makes it a crime to provide material support to a foreign terrorist group. There is no corresponding law regarding support for a violent white supremacist group.
‘‘In most ways they’re similar; probably the biggest difference is there’s not a domestic terrorism offense, as such,’’ Wray told the committee. He added that investigations of foreign-inspired suspects also may use foreign intelligence court orders to gather intelligence — a tool that would not be available in an investigation of a white supremacist group.
The debate about the lack of such a law heated up after a suspected white supremacist allegedly drove his car into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, Va., this summer, killing a woman. He is awaiting trial in state court on murder charges.
Wray did not take a position on whether a new law should be passed to make it easier to prosecute domestic terrorism cases.
