,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bicf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bi1 #bjbe ,mr4 ,scott of ,florida introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to designate ,antifa as a domestic terrorist organization1 to counter domestic terrorism and organized political violence1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,stop ,,antifa ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,antifa is a militarist1 anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the ,united ,states ,government1 law enforcement authorities1 and the system of law in the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,it uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide to accomplish these goals4 7#c7 ,this campaign involves coordinated efforts to obstruct enforcement of ,federal laws through armed standoffs with law enforcement1 organized riots1 violent assaults on ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement and other law enforcement officers1 and routine doxing of and other threats against political figures and activists4 7#d7 ,antifa recruits1 trains1 and radicalizes young people in the ,united ,states to engage in this violence and suppression of political activity1 then employs elaborate means and mechanisms to shield the identities of its operatives1 conceal its funding sources and operations in an effort to frustrate law enforcement1 and recruit additional members4 7#e7 ,individuals associated with and acting on behalf of ,antifa further coordinate with other organizations and entities for the purpose of spreading1 fomenting1 and advancing political violence and suppressing lawful political speech4 7#f7 ,this organized effort designed to achieve policy objectives by coercion and intimidation is domestic terrorism4 7#g7 ,heinous assassinations and other acts of political violence in the ,united ,states have dramatically increased in recent years4 ,even in the aftermath of the horrifying assassination of ,charlie ,kirk1 some individuals who adhered to the alleged shooter's ideology embraced and cheered this evil murder while actively encouraging more political violence4 ,this was preceded by the #bjbd assassination of a senior healthcare executive and the #bjbb assassination attempt against ,associate ,justice ,brett ,kavanaugh4 ,two separate assassination attempts against the life of ,president ,donald ,trump took place during the #bjbd ,presidential election cycle in less than #c months4 7#h7 ,riots in ,los ,angeles and ,portland reflect a more than #a1jjj percent increase in attacks on ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement officers since ,january #ba1 #bjbe1 compared to the same period last year4 ,on ,september #bd1 #bjbe1 a shooting targeting a facility of ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement in ,dallas resulted in multiple casualties4 ,separate anti-police and criminal justice riots have left many people dead and injured and inflicted over #b1jjj1jjj1jjj in property damage nationwide4 7#i7 ,this political violence is not a series of isolated incidents and does not emerge organically4 ,instead1 it is a culmination of sophisticated1 organized campaigns of targeted intimidation1 radicalization1 threats1 and violence designed to silence opposing speech1 limit political activity1 change or direct policy outcomes1 and prevent the functioning of a democratic society4 ,a new law enforcement strategy that investigates all participants in these criminal and terroristic conspiracies1 including the organized structures1 networks1 entities1 organizations1 funding sources1 and predicate actions behind them1 is required4 7#aj7 ,these campaigns often begin by isolating and dehumanizing specific targets to justify murder or other violent action against them4 ,they do so through a variety of fora1 including anonymous chat forums1 in-person meetings1 social media1 and even educational institutions4 ,these campaigns then escalate to organized doxing1 where the private or identifying information of their targets 7such as home addresses1 phone numbers1 or other personal information7 is exposed to the public with the explicit intent of encouraging others to harass1 intimidate1 or violently assault them4 ,as in the case of several agents of ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement in ,los ,angeles being doxed1 the goal of these campaigns can be to obstruct the operations of the ,federal ,government as well as aid and abet criminal activity the ,federal ,government is lawfully pursuing4 ,these campaigns are coordinated and perpetrated by actors who have developed a comprehensive strategy to achieve specific policy goals through radicalization and violent intimidation4 7#aa7 ,there are common recurrent motivations and indicia uniting this pattern of violent and terroristic activities under the umbrella of self-described anti-fascism4 ,these movements portray foundational principles of the ,united ,states 7such as support for law enforcement and border control7 as fascist to justify and encourage acts of violent revolution4 ,this anti-fascist lie has become the organizing rallying cry used by domestic terrorists to wage a violent assault against democratic institutions1 constitutional rights1 and fundamental liberties of the people of the ,united ,states4 7#ab7 ,common threads animating this violent conduct include-- 7,a7 anti-,americanism1 anti-capitalism1 and anti-,christianity2 7,b7 support for the overthrow of the ,united ,states ,government2 7,c7 extremism on migration1 race1 and gender2 and 7,d7 hostility towards those who hold traditional ,american views on family1 religion1 and morality4 7#ac7 ,as described in the ,order of ,september #bb1 #bjbe 7#ij ,fed4 ,reg4 #dfcag2 relating to designating ,antifa as a domestic terrorist organization71 the groups and entities that perpetuate this extremism have created a movement that embraces and elevates violence to achieve policy outcomes1 including justifying additional assassinations4 ,for example1 ,charlie ,kirk's alleged assassin engraved the bullets used in the murder with so-called anti-fascist rhetoric4 7#ad7 ,the ,united ,states requires a national strategy to investigate and disrupt networks1 entities1 and organizations that foment political violence so that law enforcement can intervene in criminal conspiracies before they result in violent political acts4 ,through this comprehensive strategy1 law enforcement will disband and uproot networks1 entities1 and organizations that promote organized violence1 violent intimidation1 conspiracies against rights1 and other efforts to disrupt the functioning of a democratic society4 #c4 ,designation of ,antifa as a domestic terrorist organization 7a7 ,in general ,because of the pattern of political violence by ,antifa designed to suppress lawful political activity and obstruct the rule of law1 ,antifa is designated as a domestic terrorist organization4 7b7 ,implementation ,all relevant departments and agencies of the executive branch of the ,united ,states ,government shall use all applicable authorities to investigate1 disrupt1 and dismantle any and all illegal operations1 especially those involving terrorist actions1 conducted by ,antifa or a person claiming to act on behalf of ,antifa1 or for which ,antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of ,antifa provided material support1 including necessary investigatory and prosecutorial actions against those who fund such operations4 #d4 ,investigating domestic terrorist organizations 7a7 ,in general ,the ,national ,joint ,terrorism ,task ,force and its local offices 7collectively referred to in this section as the ,j,t,t,fs7 shall coordinate and supervise a comprehensive national strategy to investigate1 prosecute1 and disrupt entities and individuals engaged in acts of political violence and intimidation designed to suppress lawful political activity or obstruct the rule of law4 ,this strategy shall include the investigatory and prosecutorial measures set forth in this section4 7b7 ,investigations of actions of political violence1 terrorism1 or to deprive persons of rights ,the ,j,t,t,fs shall investigate potential ,federal crimes relating to acts of recruiting or radicalizing persons for the purpose of-- 7#a7 political violence1 terrorism1 or conspiracy against rights2 or 7#b7 the violent deprivation of the rights of any citizen of the ,united ,states4 7c7 ,investigations of supporters of domestic terrorist organizations ,the ,j,t,t,fs shall also investigate-- 7#a7 institutional and individual funders1 and officers and employees of organizations1 that are responsible for1 sponsor1 or otherwise aid and abet the principal actors engaging in the criminal conduct described in subsections 7a7 and 7b72 and 7#b7 non-governmental organizations and citizens of the ,united ,states residing abroad or with close ties to foreign governments1 agents1 citizens1 foundations1 or influence networks engaged in violations of the ,foreign ,agents ,registration ,act of #aich 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #faa et seq47 or money laundering by funding1 creating1 or supporting entities that engage in activities that support or encourage domestic terrorism4 7d7 ,consultation and coordination ,the ,j,t,t,fs shall consult and coordinate with executive departments and agencies as needed to determine whether such departments and agencies can apply existing authorities or exercise authorities of the departments and agencies1 as appropriate1 to support the investigations of the ,j,t,t,fs and relevant prosecutions of political violence4 7e7 ,operational assistance and coordination ,the ,j,t,t,fs may1 to the extent permitted by law1 request operational assistance from and coordinate with law enforcement partners when investigating domestic terrorism4 7f7 ,updates ,the ,national ,joint ,terrorism ,task ,force shall provide regular progress updates to the ,president through the ,assistant to the ,president and ,homeland ,security ,advisor4 7g7 ,prosecution of ,federal offenses ,the ,attorney ,general shall direct the ,department of ,justice to prosecute all offenses under ,federal law1 to the maximum extent permissible by law1 related to the investigations described in subsections 7a7 through 7c74 7h7 ,guidance ,the ,attorney ,general shall issue specific guidance that ensures domestic terrorism priorities include politically motivated terrorist acts such as organized doxing campaigns1 swatting1 rioting1 looting1 trespass1 assault1 destruction of property1 threats of violence1 and civil disorder4 ,this guidance shall also include an identification of any behaviors1 fact patterns1 recurrent motivations1 or other indicia common to organizations and entities that coordinate these acts in order to direct efforts to identify and prevent potential violent activity4 7i7 ,identifying and disrupting financial networks ,the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 in coordination with the ,attorney ,general1 shall make available all resources1 to the maximum extent permitted by law1 to identify and disrupt financial networks that fund domestic terrorism and political violence4 ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,terrorism and ,financial ,intelligence ,office of the ,department of the ,treasury1 shall deploy investigative tools1 examine financial flows1 and coordinate with partner agencies to trace illicit funding streams4 ,the ,secretary shall provide guidance for financial institutions to file ,suspicious ,activity ,reports and investigate indicia of illicit funding streams to ensure such activity is rooted out at the source and referred for law enforcement action1 as appropriate4 7j7 ,stopping financing of political violence and domestic terrorism ,the ,commissioner of ,internal ,revenue shall take action to ensure that no tax-exempt entities are directly or indirectly financing political violence or domestic terrorism4 ,in addition1 where applicable1 the ,commissioner shall ensure that the ,internal ,revenue ,service refers such organizations1 and the employees and officers of such organizations1 to the ,department of ,justice for investigation and possible prosecution4 7k7 ,investigations of individuals engaged in political violence 7#a7 ,in general ,all ,federal law enforcement agencies with investigative authority shall question and interrogate1 within all lawful authorities1 individuals engaged in political violence or lawlessness regarding the entity or individual organizing such actions and any related financial sponsorship of those actions prior to adjudication or initiation of a plea agreement4 7#b7 ,prioritization ,investigations should prioritize crimes such as-- 7,a7 assaulting ,federal officers or employees or otherwise engaging in conduct proscribed by section #aaa of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,b7 conspiracy against rights under section #bda of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,c7 conspiracy to commit an offense under section #cga of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,d7 solicitation to commit a crime of violence under section #cgc of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,e7 money laundering under section #aief of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,f7 funding of terrorist acts or otherwise facilitating terrorism under section #bcci1 #bcci;,a1 #bcci;,b1 #bcci;,c1 or #bcci;,d of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,g7 arson offenses under section #hdd of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,h7 violations of chapter #if of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code 7commonly known as the ,racketeer ,influenced and ,corrupt ,organizations ,act72 and 7,i7 major fraud against the ,united ,states under section #ajca of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code 7l7 ,strategies to disrupt and dismantle political violence and domestic terrorism networks ,all ,federal law enforcement agencies with investigative authority shall adopt strategies similar to those used to address violent crime and organized crime to disrupt and dismantle entire networks of criminal activity4 #e4 ,department of ,justice designation ,in the course of and as a result of the investigations directed by section #d1 the ,attorney ,general may recommend that any group or entity whose members are engaged in activities meeting the definition of domestic terrorism under section #bcca of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 merits designation as a domestic terrorist organization4 ,the ,attorney ,general shall submit a list of any such groups or entities to the ,president through the ,assistant to the ,president and ,homeland ,security ,advisor4 #f4 ,domestic terrorism as a national priority area ,the ,attorney ,general and the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall designate domestic terrorism a national priority area and develop appropriate grant programs to allocate funding for law enforcement partners to detect1 prevent1 and protect against threats arising from this area4 #g4 ,general provisions ,this ,act -- 7#a7 shall not be construed to impair or otherwise affect-- 7,a7 the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency1 or the head thereof2 or 7,b7 the functions of the ,director of the ,office of ,management and ,budget relating to budgetary1 administrative1 or legislative proposals2 7#b7 shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations2 and 7#c7 is not intended to1 and does not1 create any right or benefit1 substantive or procedural1 enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the ,united ,states1 its departments1 agencies1 or entities1 its officers1 employees1 or agents1 or any other person4