In a significant escalation of the Trump administration's actions against left-wing groups, US Attorney General Pam Bondi has issued a directive to law enforcement officials to investigate antifascist (Antifa) activists and other alleged domestic terror organisations. A confidential memo obtained by the Guardian reveals a specific focus on uncovering potential 'tax crimes' these groups may have committed.
A Broadening Crackdown on Left-Wing Activism
The document, circulated to all federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors on Thursday, is part of the effort to implement President Donald Trump's September executive order. That order controversially designated the loose network of activists known as Antifa as a 'domestic terrorism organisation', a move legal experts argue exceeds presidential authority.
Bondi's memo paints a broad picture of the threat, alleging these 'domestic terrorists' use violence to advance agendas including opposition to immigration enforcement, support for open borders, 'radical gender ideology', anti-capitalism, and the overthrow of the US government. The directive signals a concerted push to operationalise the President's rhetoric into concrete investigative action.
Intelligence Gathering and Tax-Exempt Status Under Scrutiny
The memo contains several actionable orders for federal bodies. It instructs all agencies to review and share any Antifa-related intelligence with the FBI within 14 days. Furthermore, the FBI is tasked with compiling a list of domestic terror groups and disseminating intelligence on Antifa.
A particularly notable aspect is the emphasis on financial scrutiny. Bondi explicitly directs officials to consider tax crimes in cases involving extremist groups suspected of defrauding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This continues an administration pattern of exploring ways to revoke the tax-exempt status of left-leaning organisations, a tactic that could severely impact their funding and philanthropic work. The memo references previous efforts to investigate major liberal funders like the Open Society Foundations.
Legal Precedents and International Parallels
The Justice Department has already begun applying a terrorism framework to Antifa-associated cases. In October, terrorism charges were filed against activists arrested during a protest at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Texas, where a police officer was shot. Prosecutors labelled them part of a 'North Texas antifa cell'. Families of the accused have contested this, telling the Guardian the individuals did not intend violence and did not identify as part of Antifa.
This domestic push finds an international echo. Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated four European anti-fascist groups as foreign terrorist organisations, a move perceived as bolstering the administration's stance against similar movements within the United States. Bondi's memo also prioritises justice department grants for states with programmes focused on combating domestic terrorism, incentivising a nationwide alignment with this policy.
The directive underscores the administration's commitment to framing and tackling political violence and dissent from a specific ideological perspective, with legal and financial tools being deployed in a novel and contentious manner.
