The Justice Department is investigating whether a spike in hate crimes is due to the 2016 presidential election cycle.
“Many Americans are concerned by a spate of recent news reports about alleged hate crimes and harassment,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Friday in a videotaped statement. “The FBI is assessing, in conjunction with federal prosecutors, whether particular incidents constitute violations of federal law.”
Earlier this week, the FBI released crime statistics for 2015 that showed a 67 percent increase from the year prior in hate crimes against Muslims.
There was also a reported rise in hate crimes against Jews, blacks, Latinos, women and LGBTQ people, which Lynch called “deeply sobering.”
Civil rights groups have said the rise in hate crimes and harassment stems from a divisive presidential election cycle. Groups have also pointed fingers at President-elect Trump as a reason for this increase.
“We need you to continue to report these incidents to local law enforcement, as well as the Justice Department, so that our career investigators and prosecutors can take action to defend your rights,” Lynch explained.
In total, the 2016 FBI report documented “5,850 criminal incidents and 6,885 related offenses that were motivated by bias against race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender and gender identity.”
