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Trump Set To Designate Antifa as Terrorist Organization

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In the aftermath of riots that appeared to have hijacked peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd,  President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on Sunday that the left-wing “anti-fascist” coalition known as antifa will be designated as a terrorist organization.

“The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization,” Trump wrote.

Designating antifa as a terrorist organization would increase the ability of law enforcement agencies such as the FBI to conduct surveillance and other activities targeted at its affiliates. It would also increase the ability of the Treasury Department to interdict the flow of funds that support them.

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Trump, who has threatened to act against groups in the past, cited antifa for igniting riots in another Sunday tweet.

“Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night. The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!” he tweeted.


National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien made it clear that, from his perspective, antifa’s role is very clear.

“This is being driven by antifa,” he said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.



“And they did it in Seattle. They have done it in Portland. They have done it in Berkeley. This is a destructive force of radical — I don’t even know if we want to call them leftists. Whatever they are, they’re — they’re militants who are — are coming in and burning our cities, and we’re going to get to the bottom of it,” he said.

O’Brien said that the administration wants “law and order in this country.”

“We want peaceful protesters who have real concerns about brutality and racism, they need to be able to go to the city halls,” he said, about the 6-minute mark in the video above. “They need to be able to petition their government and let their voices be heard.

“And they can’t be hijacked by these — these left-wing antifa militants who are burning down primarily communities in the African- American sections and the Hispanic sections of our cities, where immigrants and hardworking folks are trying to get a leg up.  And they’re having their businesses burned by these radicals, many of whom are imported from Seattle or Portland or who knows where they come from, and cross state lines, and they’re hurting our people,” he said.

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O’Brien said Trump’s bottom line is simple.

“The president is going to take a strong stand for law and order,” he said.

Earlier in the interview, O’Brien said the FBI is going to play a role.

“And we’re going to get to the bottom of it,” he said about the 2:45 mark. “And I think we’re going to — the president and the attorney general want to know from Director [Christopher] Wray what the FBI has been doing to track and dismantle and surveil and prosecute antifa.  And if that hasn’t been happening, we want to know what the plan is going forward.

Is it about time antifa faced some serious heat?

“These antifa militant radicals who come into our cities and cross state lines, and they’re organized, and use Molotov cocktails and fireworks and gas to burn down our cities, especially businesses in minority neighborhoods, it’s got to be stopped,” he said.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called rioters “antifa-like” during an appearance on the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures,” according to Fox News.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison did not name antifa, but told “Fox News Sunday” individuals from out-of-state sparked the violence in Minneapolis that triggered other riots.

In a statement posted on the Justice Department’s website Attorney General William Barr blamed outside group for instigating the violence.

“Groups of outside radicals and agitators are exploiting the situation to pursue their own separate and violent agenda. In many places, it appears the violence is planned, organized, and driven by anarchistic and far left extremists, using Antifa-like tactics, many of whom travel from out of state to promote the violence,” Barr said in the statement.

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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