Jun 03, 2020

Report: FBI 'finds no intel of Antifa involvement' in Sunday violence

Posted Jun 03, 2020 12:08 PM

From The Nation

The FBI’s Washington Field Office “has no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence” in the violence that occurred on May 31, according to an internal FBI situation report obtained exclusively by The Nation. That same day, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that he would designate Antifa a terrorist organization, even though the government has no existing authority to declare a domestic group a terrorist organization. Following the president’s tweet, Attorney General William Barr said in a statement, “The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.” 

The FBI report, however, states, “based on CHS [Confidential Human Source] canvassing, open source/social media partner engagement, and liaison, FBI WFO has no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence.” The statement followed a list of violent acts like bricks being thrown at police and a backpack containing explosive materials, which were flagged by the FBI under a “Key Updates” section of the report. The FBI has been issuing such reports daily since the weekend, according to an FBI source, who added that none of these documents contained any evidence of Antifa violence.

Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” is type of militant anti-racist, anti-nationalist organizing that does not rely on the justice system to confront the far right. Groups associated with Antifa have destroyed property and committed violence in the past, but the fact that the FBI’s situation reports cannot find any evidence of it now suggests that fears about the group may be exaggerated.