Timothy McVeigh: Legacy of Rage

Timothy McVeigh grew up not far from my own hometown, in the “white flight” suburb of Pendleton, in western New York. (In a recent election, approximately 67 percent of Pendleton residents voted for Donald Trump.)

McVeigh struggled with the mechanics of the English language, but he was a forceful writer. And he loved guns. He was never anything like a survivalist; he was an extremely conservative Republican. But his occasional references to survivalist thought have clouded his own (very cloudy!) image — for many Americans.

McVeigh loathed Bill Clinton, and his distaste for the federal government gained steam after the disaster in Waco. (In fact, McVeigh planned his bombing to coincide with the anniversary of the Waco fire.) Also, McVeigh had decided on a certain narrative of American history: The Second Amendment means that I, personally, have a right to stockpile assault rifles, and if the President attempts to tamper with that right, then I’m obligated to respond with violence.

Jeffrey Toobin seems to be telling this story not because McVeigh himself is fascinating (he isn’t) — but because there is such a clear line from McVeigh to Trump, or Marjorie Taylor Greene, or Alex Jones. One question Toobin raises is centered on McVeigh’s history with the US military. Many of the “leaders” behind the January 6 insurrection also had records involving military service. Does the military tend to attract the kind of people who might also want to participate in right-wing extremism? Or is it something about a person’s time *in* the military that can plant a seed (i.e., Invasion of the Domestic Terrorist Body Snatchers)?

All of this happens within the first fifty pages of Jeffrey Toobin’s new book. Like all of Toobin’s work, it’s a page-turner. Five stars for pacing and clarity.

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