Last month, the White House published two executive decrees that direct the federal police to start to be ranged against political opposition.
One of the two memos aroused a certain confusion and mocking his attempt to designate a terrorist organization “Antifa”. But the second has largely gone unnoticed in the consumer press, with only a few independent journalists, left outlets and the American Communist Party attracting attention to them. Several white lawyers’ firms have issued customer alerts describing movements such as tools to fight terrorism in the 9/11 era against the American public.
You should be careful. When associated, orders order the federal police to take the posture of Maga on “Antifa” – a term of capture to do all gestures towards groups and protest of the amorphous left – very seriously. The memos classify enormous bands of progressive political advocacy and belief as being potentially contributing to political violence and domestic terrorism, leading the police and several federal agencies to investigate and possibly invoice left defense groups and their donors.
This has already had an effect: lawyers and defenders have told TPM that even in a short time since orders were signed, non -profit organizations and foundations already act in understanding that the federal government can impose a cost to advocate.
Directing the surveys and accusation acts against groups and their donors on beliefs violates the first amendment in a new way even for this administration, experts at TPM said.
Lee Rowland, Executive Director of the National Coalition against Censorship, described the order “a clear plan for having followed political enemies”.
“It is absolutely intended to create fear and confusion among the whole non-profit class to ensure that they do not associate or finance anyone publicly that the disadvantaged Trump administration,” she told TPM.
The first order considers Antifa a terrorist organization.
The second order, a document entitled Memorandum Presidential National Security (NPSM-7) published on September 25, threatens to make reality the basic fantasy of Maga to transform the federal power against various progressive groups.
To do this, he developed large categories of normal political discourse as contributing to terrorism. The White House orders the police to consider “extremism on migration, race and sex; And hostility to those who have traditional American opinions on family, religion and morality “, as well as” anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christiania “as well as ambitions such as” the overthrow of the United States government “.
Orders have little legal earth (the anti -fed order, for example, applies a law which only exists for foreign groups to a poorly defined term for interior demonstrators). But that does not completely strike their effect.
A former lawyer for the Coj Counterterroism has argued that the threat of orders does not necessarily come in the form of imminent accusations but in the long surveys for drainage of the resources that should begin. They could also have other impacts on opposition groups seeking to participate in policy or in civic society: donors reduce contributions to certain non -profit organizations, campaign defense groups that differ from the White House vision on social problems and other companies such as banks refusing to work with organizations on the administration list.
“Material support costs will not follow because there is no framework for doing all of this,” said the person. “It is a legal nullity in many ways, but financial institutions do not care.”
Bringing war against terrorism home
For years, people who are now senior officials from the second administration of Trump have openly fantasized about the use of major federal powers, previously largely reserved for the fight against foreign terrorist organizations, against domestic political opponents.
Vice-president JD Vance suggested in a speech in November 2021 at the Claremont Institute that the next republican administration should target non-profit organizations, foundations and university endowments that turn off views opposed to those of the conservative movement. He called on university endowments, for example, “ammunition for the left” and said that tax lounges, responsibility protections and subsidies granted to non -profit organizations and other advocacy groups should not be granted to those who “lead this country to soil.
During the 2024 campaign, Magi Think Tanks devoted resources to examining the legal arguments that the Bush administration made to reduce civil freedoms during the war against terrorism. In July, the secretary of the DHS, Kristi Noem, pointed out during a gathering of the Dietl Security Council (Bo Dietl, Rudy Giuliani and a former lawyer of Corey Lewandowski were present) that his department “has authorities who have never been used before”.
“I’m going to need good minds about how to use these authorities,” she added.
The White House threw the murder of Charlie Kirk last month as a missing catalyst – a reason to move forward with the politicians she has long sought to adopt.
Memos accomplish that joint working groups of joint terrorism – the law implementation units created after September 11 which merger the FBI with local police in each state. They are now responsible for “investigating, continuing and disrupting” groups and people engaged in domestic terrorism or what the note defines as supporting, including “extremism” on race or sex, or “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christian”. According to the memo, the objectives include “institutional and individual donors” as well as the “officers and employees” of organizations who follow the opinions of the Démovers de la Maison Blanche.
Under the NSPM-7, the Treasury Department must examine “financial flows” and issue advice to financial institutions to find “illicit funding flows”. The memo orders the IRS to examine the exempt entities of tax which can “directly or indirectly finance political violence or domestic terrorism” and refer them to the MJ for criminal investigation.
At a meeting of the White House last month, announcing the decree, the right name of the Trump checked the right Bogeyman George Soros and the co-founder of Linkedin, Reid Hoffman, as potential targets. Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff of the White House, used orders to be dark and fantasize more. Canaling Tom Clancy, Miller wrote at some point on X that a JTTF had been “sent” and that “all the necessary resources will be used”.
There are many here that is ripe for a legal challenge, say the experts of civil freedoms. The alerts of customers issued by large law firms underline, in an inimitable language that he can “affect[t] protected from first amendment activities. »»
But he points out that the administration has taken a big step in its efforts to weaken and repress the opposition.
“I don’t know you might become more aggressive,” added the former MJ official. “He indicates in his face that they will continue the financing mechanisms associated with progressive causes. It is on the face of an official document of the White House. ”
