FBI Targets Trump Supporters as Domestic Terrorists
Less than one year before Americans will begin casting their votes in the 2024 election, the FBI is singling out supporters of Republican frontrunner former President Donald Trump as domestic terrorists, a report from Newsweek shows.
Testimony from more than a “dozen current or former government officials who specialize in terrorism” to Newsweek confirmed that this increase in targeting was born out of the FBI’s decision to lump Trump supporters into its expanded definition of “domestic extremism.”
The nation’s federal law enforcement agency criminalizing opposition to the regime is not new, but it has drastically increased under President Joe Biden. FBI data reviewed by Newsweek indicates “nearly two-thirds of the FBI’s current investigations” center on Trump supporters accused of disregarding “anti-riot” laws.
Despite widespread, leftist-led and encouraged riots during the 2020 summer of rage, FBI data says that spikes in domestic violent extremism and domestic terrorism investigations in 2020 and 2021 “show clearly that the main targets of the investigations and cases open were of Trump supporters,” not the people who wreaked billions of dollars of damage on American cities.
Similarly, “assessments,” a shadowy tool used by the FBI to spy on Americans who have political or ideological associations deemed unfavorable by the agency, “more than doubled from 2019 to 2021.”
The increase also serves as a continuation of the Biden regime’s persecution of its number one political opponent and his popular brand of wrongthink ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The FBI denies targeting Americans based on ideology, but “days” after the events on Jan. 6, 2021, the agency broadened its “anti-government or anti-authority violent extremists-other” (AGAAVE) classification so that it could jumpstart investigations into Americans based on their political affiliations.
The shift received hardly any attention, emboldening the FBI in October 2022 to create a whole new terrorism category, “AGAAVE-Other,” devoted to monitoring anyone the agency deemed an anti-government “domestic violent extremist” with seemingly adverse political affiliations.
Trump and his famous slogan “Make America Great Again” were not officially assigned to this category on paper or in the FBI’s joint report to Congress. Newsweek noted, however, that “government insiders acknowledge that it applies to political violence ascribed to the former president’s supporters.”
One unnamed senior intelligence official told Newsweek that he believed “Trump’s army constitutes the greatest threat of violence domestically…politically…that’s the reality and the problem set.”
Under Biden’s rule, the FBI launched attacks on concerned parents, raided a pastor’s home, refused to protect Republican-nominated Supreme Court justices from coordinated influence campaigns designed to undermine the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, and attempted to punish Republican states for protecting children including the unborn.
Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and co-producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on Twitter @jordanboydtx.
What are the concerns raised by civil liberties advocates regarding the FBI’s expanded definition of domestic extremism to include Trump supporters?
Partial=True code<|im_sep|>esthes-speech-domestic-terrorism040819.pdf” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Attorney General, and other government officials regarding the threat of domestic terrorism. The rhetoric has painted a broad brush, associating Trump supporters with extremism and violence.
The FBI’s expanded definition of domestic extremism, which now includes Trump supporters, has raised concerns among civil liberties advocates. Critics argue that this broad categorization can lead to the surveillance and harassment of innocent individuals solely based on their political affiliation.
Additionally, the focus on Trump supporters as domestic terrorists raises questions about the FBI’s priorities and resources. With a multitude of pressing national security issues, such as cyberattacks, foreign interference, and organized crime, some argue that targeting a political group risks diverting attention and resources from more significant threats.
Moreover, many question the selective enforcement of “anti-riot” laws. The evidence suggests that individuals involved in the 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots, which resulted in widespread destruction and violence, were not under the same level of scrutiny as Trump supporters. This discrepancy in treatment undermines the perception of impartiality and fairness within the FBI.
The increased surveillance and investigations of Trump supporters may have a chilling effect on freedom of speech and political expression. The fear of being labeled a domestic terrorist can deter individuals from voicing their opinions or participating in peaceful protests, thus eroding the fundamental principles of democracy.
It is essential to recognize that not all Trump supporters are extremists or condone violence. Painting an entire political group with a broad brush is not only unfair but also counterproductive to fostering national unity and reconciliation.
In a society that values diversity of thought and peaceful political discourse, it is crucial to ensure that law enforcement agencies treat all citizens with fairness and respect. Targeting a specific group based on political affiliation undermines public trust and weakens the fabric of democracy.
As the 2024 election approaches, it is imperative that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies prioritize objective and evidence-based investigations over politically motivated targeting. Safeguarding civil liberties and upholding the principles of justice should be at the forefront of their efforts, rather than singling out a particular group for surveillance and scrutiny.
In conclusion, the FBI’s targeting of Trump supporters as domestic terrorists raises concerns about the erosion of civil liberties, the selective enforcement of laws, and the potential chilling effect on freedom of speech and political expression. The broad categorization of Trump supporters as extremists overlooks the diverse views and motivations within this political group. It is essential for law enforcement agencies to maintain their objectivity and prioritize the genuine threats to national security, rather than engaging in politically motivated targeting.
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