2 Virginia Guardsmen Are Running a Rural Anti-Government Militia

Two Virginians run a local county-approved militia, one that has made overt threats against the government. They also both happen to be top-performing noncommissioned officers in the Virginia Army National Guard, serving the very government one of them has repeatedly warned is drifting toward tyranny.

It's a seemingly contradictory set of roles that likely runs afoul of new Army rules that explicitly prohibit anti-government behavior -- for soldiers both on active duty and in the Guard.

Staff Sgts. Daniel Abbott and Alexandra Griffeth jointly run the Campbell County Militia, which operates in the rural surroundings of Lynchburg, Virginia, with Abbott serving as the militia's commander and having ties to other similar groups in the region.

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The militia, which appears to be mostly white based on photos posted to its public-facing social media, was formed roughly five years ago, following a rise in other similar groups in Virginia after a Democratic wave of victories in the state and gun control fights.

In 2020, Campbell County's board of supervisors officially recognized Abbott's militia in a six to one vote to serve "as a barrier against a tyrannical government."

Military.com reviewed several hours of recordings of meetings of the Campbell County Militia published on social media sites, most of which featured Abbott as a key speaker either at militia training or at public events to recruit for the group. The publication found a pattern of Abbott issuing overt threats against the federal government and making it clear that his militia's mission is to potentially wage war.

"Our own government is the greatest threat to our safety and security," Abbott said at one event earlier this year. "Power is akin to force. I would argue there are only two [forces] man has direct access to. One of those is violence … [and] the threat of violence."

Abbott and Griffeth declined multiple interview requests for this story.

By being part of the National Guard, the pair likely have relatively easy access to vehicles, weapons, ammunition and other military resources.

"There is no easier way to sabotage the U.S. than having access to equipment," Kris Goldsmith, an Iraq war veteran who runs Task Force Butler, a nonprofit that researches and tracks extremism online, told Military.com.

Virginia National Guard spokesman A.A. Puryear declined to comment on whether there is an active investigation into the two soldiers, but said that "the Virginia National Guard will investigate any reports of service members being involved in extremist activity and take appropriate action based on the results of the investigation."

In June, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth issued a new policy clarifying that soldiers are forbidden from participating in radical causes, including anti-government activity. The new rule set came after a congressional mandate and careful consideration by Army staff looking to codify that extremism within the ranks is forbidden and -- more importantly -- defining what that means.

Specifically, the new set of rules explicitly states that threats of violence against the government are prohibited, saying that any actions that include "advocating, engaging in, or supporting the overthrow of the government … by force or violence, or seeking to alter the forms [of government] by unconstitutional or other unlawful means, such as sedition" are not permitted.

"Active participation in extremist activities can be prohibited even in some circumstances in which such activities would be constitutionally protected in a civilian setting," Wormuth penned in a memo at the time of the policy's release. "Extremism calls into question a soldier's ability to follow orders from, or effectively lead and serve with, persons of diverse backgrounds, and it prevents maximum utilization and development of the Army's most valuable asset -- its people."

The National Guard should have been aware of Abbott's role with the militia, and its message. Since at least 2020, he has been mentioned in or interviewed by at least half a dozen media outlets, ranging from local radio to The New York Times -- though it doesn't appear his status as a Guardsman was previously reported. In the interview with that paper, Abbott insisted his militia is not an extremist organization, but said the purpose is to prevent governments from "being able to impose their will on people who didn't want their will."

The New York Times' reporting at the time said the spike in the militia movement in Virginia largely centered around historically red regions in the country becoming more diverse, but was also fueled by racial grievances and shifting power structures. "Not everyone saw this fight as just about gun policy. It was also about power," the paper reported.

Abbott holds both infantry and horizontal construction engineer job qualifications, according to his service record.

Griffeth serves as a battalion-level administrator in the state; she is also a combat engineer and infantryman. It's common in the National Guard for soldiers to hold multiple specialties. She is also one of the state's best shooters, competing and winning at least one marksmanship competition last year.

In the militia, Griffeth has a leadership role in its tactical training, including rifle marksmanship. She also appears with Abbott at recruiting events, making direct appeals to listeners to become part of their organization.

"There is a place for women, children [and] teens," she said to a group of potential recruits, according to a recording reviewed by Military.com.

At the heart of the Campbell County Militia is a sustained public relations campaign. Its social media accounts mostly post photos of the group doing community service, such as picking up litter or volunteering at a food pantry. Extremist groups often partake in charity causes or public service that is divorced from their prime objective.

The Ku Klux Klan, for example, has a long track record of charity work and public service to build relationships with local municipalities and fuel positive public relations campaigns. In the early 1920s, the Klan's Madison, Wisconsin, chapter served as a formal reaction force for local officials to respond to natural disasters and helped law enforcement combat bootleggers during Prohibition.

"These are [public relations] stunts to whitewash, to earn the goodwill from local officials and garner good press," Goldsmith said. "This is also a recruiting tactic."

Abbott has been clear, nonetheless, about the purpose of the militia.

"This is a military organization; this is force of arms," he said in a meeting recorded earlier this year.

The organization's social media presence also features a steady diet of anti-immigrant rhetoric and suggestions of impending violence.

"Biden keeps letting them in, policy cannot keep you safe," one social media post from the militia's Facebook account said earlier this year. "Time to get trained up for the time is coming."

Abbott is among the highest-profile Guardsmen in his state; in 2023, he was named as the Virginia National Guard's noncommissioned officer of the year. He also competed in the Guard's Best Warrior Competition that year in Alaska against other top performers across the service component. During that competition, he wore his militia's patch, which is seemingly inspired by the Army infantry's cross rifle insignia. The militia's logo is also heavily inspired by the 75th Ranger Regiment scroll.

Virginia has seen a rise in militia activity and other far-right groups since just before the pandemic. That follows a decade of the state population becoming more diverse. In 2010, 70% of Virginians identified as white, according to that year's census. In 2020, just 60% identified as white.

The Virginia National Guard, currently commanded by Maj. Gen. James Ring, has a record of slow-rolling booting out soldiers tied to anti-government violence or rhetoric. 

Jacob Fracker, who was the first service member charged after being a part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was not removed from the Virginia Guard until more than a year after he was initially arrested and publicly admitted to taking part in the riot, posting images of himself in the Capitol. Fracker, a corporal at the time, was an infantryman assigned to the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 29th Infantry Division.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the Virginia National Guard's commander and the spelling of Griffeth's name. 

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