Biden DHS Program Funds Outfit Conflating Conservatives with Neo-Nazis
A new report from the Media Research Center (MRC) suggests that a Biden Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “anti-terrorism” program sent funding to an outfit that included a video conflating conservative and Christian groups with neo-Nazis and terrorists in its grant application. Additionally, in another video from the linked conference, the same researcher from the first video bragged about working to get conservatives fired, evicted, expelled, socially ostracized, and de-banked.
The DHS program is called the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program (TVTP), and has distributed nearly $40 million to various public, private, and nonprofit organizations “to establish or enhance capabilities to prevent targeted violence and terrorism.”
Nonprofits Fighting Law-Abiding Political Opponents of the Left
Instead of fighting terrorism, though, the nonprofits appear to have been fighting several law-abiding political opponents of the left. The University of Dayton, for example, was awarded $352,109 to establish its PREVENTS-OH program. In its grant application, the university included footage from a conference in which University of Cincinnati research fellow Michael Loadenthal presented a “Pyramid of Far-Right Radicalization” chart. The chart presents mainstream conservative news outlets and organizations — like The Heritage Foundation, Fox News, the National Rifle Association, PragerU, Turning Point USA, and the Christian Broadcasting Network — as dangerous pipelines to neo-Nazism.
Affiliation with Antifa and Celebrating Left-Wing Violence
Loadenthal has bragged about his affiliation with Antifa and his Twitter feed, the MRC reports, “is rife with posts celebrating acts of left-wing violence (often against police officers).” In a different seminar titled “White Nationalism Workshop,” Loadenthal instructed listeners on how to “destabilize” political movements by creating fake social media accounts on free speech platforms such as Telegram, Gab, and Rumble. “A lot of things we’re doing are illegal,” he told the audience. “A lot of it involves breaking the law… and I’ve had many conversations with the FBI about this,” he added.
Weaponizing Anti-Terror Program Against Conservatives
The MRC has uncovered a DHS anti-terrorism program that’s been weaponized against conservatives. 80 grants & 39.6 million taxpayer dollars later, here’s a look at how Joe Biden & SecMayorkas are outsourcing their efforts to conflate conservatives with terrorists.
1/🚨EXPOSED: @theMRC has uncovered a DHS anti-terrorism program that’s been weaponized against conservatives.
80 grants & 39.6 million taxpayer dollars later, here’s a look at how @JoeBiden & @SecMayorkas are outsourcing their efforts to conflate conservatives with terrorists🧵 pic.twitter.com/uw7Cdj0sPC
University of Dayton Receives DHS Grant for Anti-Conservative Program
4/ One of those local leaders is University of Cincinnati researcher @mloadenthal, who presented the pyramid of far-right radicalization in a seminar w/Agent Masztalics.
Here he is at one of the seminars telling the audience a lot of what he’s doing and advising is illegal. pic.twitter.com/d4cw1t03hq
The University of Dayton has received a grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a program that targets conservatives and Republicans. The program, which is run by University of Cincinnati researcher Mike Loadenthal, aims to identify and doxx right-wing individuals and organizations by contacting their employers, landlords, commanding officers, school officials, family, and clergy. Loadenthal also advocates for pressuring financial services and retailers to kick people off their platforms.
Deplatforming the Right
Loadenthal believes in “deplatforming” far-right individuals and organizations, denying them access to public spheres and shutting down their ability to speak. He admits to instigating “direct confrontation” with people he describes as “white supremacists” in his younger years. “This is the idea of deplatforming. I worked in that realm for a long time,” he said.
6/ @mloadenthal, again, speaking on behalf of a @DHSgov funded program, celebrated de-platforming those on the right & shutting down their ability to organize or speak publicly, saying, “This is the belief.”
Loadenthal presented the “far-right radicalization” chart at a seminar, where Rutgers University faculty member Alexander Hinton compared the Trump administration to the Khmer Rouge, a Cambodian regime that killed an estimated 1.5 million-2 million people from 1975-79. Speaker Nicole Widdersheim, deputy Washington director for Human Rights Watch, compared Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposing a volunteer civilian military force to assist the National Guard in emergencies such as hurricanes to the Nazis’ Holocaust during World War II.
DHS Denials
A DHS representative denied that the grant was related to the conference seminars included in the university’s application. However, the university described the conference as indicative of its work “to assess regional needs and capacities for violent extremism prevention” in the grant application. DHS Agent Joseph Masztalics appeared as a featured speaker at the conference.
“The University of Dayton Human Rights Center received its PREVENTS-OH grant in the fall of 2022 and, to date, its community awareness events and dialogues have focused on all forms of domestic terrorism, targeted violence, and extremism,” the University said in its own statement to Fox.
The Biden administration’s targeting of Christians, conservatives, and Republicans is abhorrent and criminal, according to MRC Free Speech America Vice President Dan Schneider.
Government Colluding with Left-Wing Activists to Target Conservatives, Says Media Research Center
According to a report by the Media Research Center (MRC), the US government is colluding with left-wing activists, academics, and state and local officials to target prominent political, religious, and media groups in the country, linking them directly to Nazis and terrorists. The MRC has called for an investigation and criminal prosecution, stating that those who abuse their positions in the federal government must be held accountable for their criminal behavior.
The MRC’s findings are among numerous recent examples of government targeting of political opponents that the newly established Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government has encountered. Last week, the explosive Durham report revealed how the Obama administration, Hillary Clinton’s campaign, deep state operatives, and corporate media peddled disinformation to justify surveillance of Donald Trump’s campaign, interfere in the 2016 election, and undermine Trump once he was elected.
The Biden administration’s efforts to target conservatives, Christians, and the Republican Party are further evidenced by the creation of the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, which is now the parent department of the TVTP grant program. The MRC report states that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and that they will be presenting further evidence of the Biden administration’s efforts to target conservatives going forward.
Hold Violators Accountable
The MRC has called on federal prosecutors to hold violators accountable under civil rights laws, 18 USC Section 241 and 18 USC Section 242. It is crucial that those who abuse their positions in the federal government are held accountable for their criminal behavior.
Evita Duffy-Alfonso is a staff writer to The Federalist and the co-founder of the Chicago Thinker. She loves the Midwest, lumberjack sports, writing, and her family. Follow her on Twitter at @evitaduffy_1 or contact her at [email protected].