President Trump Signs Memorandum to Combat Domestic Terrorism and Political Violence
President Trump has signed a memorandum directing federal agencies to develop a comprehensive strategy to investigate and dismantle organized political violence and domestic terrorism.
President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Thursday, instructing federal agencies to develop a comprehensive strategy to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle organized political violence and domestic terrorism.
At the Oval Office signing ceremony, President Trump emphasized the need to target the financial backers of these groups, stating, "We're looking at the funders of a lot of these groups."
The memorandum outlines a coordinated response involving the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Treasury. It highlights a series of incidents, including the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk on September 10, the 2024 assassination of a senior healthcare executive, and the 2022 assassination attempt on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, as evidence of escalating political violence.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described the initiative as "historical and significant," marking the first all-of-government effort to dismantle left-wing terrorism and organizations like Antifa. He stated, "It is terrorism on our soil. We are going to use the entire force of the federal government to uproot these organizations, root and branch."
The memorandum asserts that recent political violence is not a series of isolated incidents but the result of organized campaigns aimed at silencing opposing speech and disrupting democratic society. It calls for a new law enforcement strategy to investigate all participants in these conspiracies, including their structures, networks, funding sources, and actions.
Critics have raised concerns that the memorandum could lead to a broad crackdown on political opponents and face legal challenges. The Open Society Foundations, funded by philanthropist George Soros, criticized the administration for "politically motivated attacks on civil society."
The memorandum follows President Trump's recent designation of Antifa as a "major terrorist organization" and his administration's focus on countering domestic terrorism.
Source
The GuardianFact-checking
Fact-check the facts of the article using external sources and databases.