(The Center Square) – Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump told The Center Square that he “100%” supports designating Antifa as a domestic terror organization, the U.S. House is expediting legislation to designate the group.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., introduced legislation to designate the left-wing group as a terror organization on Jan. 9, where it was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, not moving since.
“I just received word from the Speaker that he is fully supporting my bill to designate ANTIFA as a terrorist organization, and it will be placed in the State Department reauthorization bill that will be going through committee this week,” Luna posted on X Tuesday afternoon.
The legislation cites multiple instances of violence, perpetrated across the country, allegedly committed or instigated by the group, resulting in billions of dollars in damage and the assault of several law enforcement officers.
The bill cites several incidents accusing the group of orchestrating acts of violence over the past decade, including damages during riots in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd, as well as an attack on a proposed police training facility in Georgia.
“Over the summer of 2020, Antifa assisted in inflicting over $2,000,000,000 in damages against churches, Federal buildings, businesses, and other downtown structures across 20 States, resulting in the death of at least 30 individuals as well as 700 injured police officers,” according to the text of the legislation. “[In] March 2023, Antifa-affiliated rioters set fire to the future Atlanta police training facility by launching fireworks, Molotov cocktails, and other destructive items at police officers and into the facility’s construction site resulting in arrests of 23 extremists on charges of domestic terrorism.”
The bill added that in May 2020, the Department of Justice “formally labeled Antifa violence as domestic terrorism.”
‘‘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,” according to a DOJ statement.
After the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the president and his administration have been vocal about cracking down on a growing trend of left-wing violence. The Center Square asked the president if he would formally designate the group a domestic terror organization Monday evening, responding, “I would do that 100% and others also, by the way, but Antifa, is terrible.”
The president didn’t stop with Antifa; he said he’d consider designating other groups, but wouldn’t indicate others by name. He said he’s talked with Attorney General Pam Bondi about bringing federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) charges against some of these organizations and their donors.
“There are other groups, yeah, there are other groups. We have some pretty radical groups, and they got away with murder. And also, I’ve been speaking to the Attorney General about bringing RICO against some of the people that you’ve been reading about that have been putting up millions and millions of dollars for agitation,” Trump said. “These are protests. These are crimes. What they’re doing, where they’re throwing bricks at cars of the of ICE and border patrol.”
