A top FBI official toed the White House line about antifa as a major domestic terror threat at a House hearing on Thursday — but he struggled to answer questions about the leaderless movement.
Pressed repeatedly by a top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee about antifa’s size and location, the operations director of the FBI’s national security division didn’t have answers.
At one point, the FBI’s Michael Glasheen fumbled with his hands as he tried to find an answer for the question from Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
“Well, the investigations are active,” Glasheen said.
Glasheen’s comments came three months after President Donald Trump proclaimed that antifa is a “major terror organization,” even though it the broad political movement does not have a hierarchy or leadership.
Trump followed his designation with a presidential memo on September 25 directing the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate and prosecute antifascists and other adherents of “anti-Americanism.”
The formless nature of the antifascist movement, however, appears to have flummoxed the FBI as it attempts to carry out Trump’s orders.
Glasheen called antifa “our primary concern right now” and called it “the most immediate, violent threat” from domestic terrorists. That led Thompson to ask him where antifa is located and how many members it has.
“We are building out the infrastructure right now,” Glasheen said.
“So what does that mean?” Thompson shot back. “I’m just — we’re trying to get the information. You said antifa is a terrorist organization. Tell us, as a committee, how did you come to that? Where do they exist? How many members do they have in the United States as of right now?”
“Well, that’s very fluid,” Glasheen said. “It’s ongoing for us to understand that. The same, no different than Al Qaeda or ISIS.”
Glasheen visibly struggled to answer the question before saying that the FBI’s investigations were “active.”
The really nice thing about Antifa is if anyone mentions Antifa as a group of people at a thing causing trouble, I instantly know that person is a drooling, fucking idiot.
Antifa is the new pizzagate.
Oh no! It’s worse than that.
“Antifa” is the new “Witchcraft”. It’s a way to arrest people for terrorism who aren’t terrorists.
The conservative media reaction to J6 was to proclaim everyone involved as Antifa. It’s just reflexive for the party organs at this point.
If you’re opposed, you’re a terrorist.
If you’re not enthusiastic, you’re a terrorist.
If you’re embarrassing, you’re a terrorist
Anti-Facism is the greatest threat facing Trump’s America… and please don’t read any further in that.
One simple question should be asked: “What does Antifa stand for?”
Followed by “What is the definition of fascism?”
Followed by “So you’re saying the current administration is fascist then? Please elaborate on why “A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, a capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism” isn’t a turrorist organization again?”
Does the phrase “American Nazi Trump Is a Fucking Asshole” hold some meaning to that?
Underrated comment.
Tshirteable.So, you would like to get the phrase “American Nazi Trump Is a Fucking Asshole” printed onto t-shirts and see how much of the inventory sells?
I might just print one.
Naaaah i’m lazy.
But i might.
How Many Members Does Anti Fascism Have? Where Is Anti Fascism’s Headquarters? The FBI Has No Answers. Go figure…
I know where they are, and the numbers: Arlington, about 400,000 strong. One of them might be Glasheen’s grandfather, who probably regrets not wearing a Service-issued condom.
Glasheen’s grandfather, who probably regrets not wearing a Service-issued condom.
slow clap
Holy shit, this is getting wilder and wilder. What’s next on the dystopian agenda? Burning all books considered as “woke”? Having everybody not voting for Trump wear some kind of marker? Censoring anything having another ideology and imprison (or worse) anybody trying to spread that information? Declaring prescription drugs as weapons of mass destruction? Oh, wait.
Do they think antifa is like a club or something?
99% of every official pushing this narrative know exactly what they’re doing and how stupid it is, they’re performing for an audience of drooling idiots who DO think there are secret bunkers of Antifa ninjas jumping through tire hoops and swinging on ropes over firepits training for the day they all receive coordinated instructions to break into old people’s houses and take all their medicine and eat their dogs.
I’d join
Approx. 270 million members with headquarters at the corner of East and Capitol vstreets Washington, d.c. 20510
The location of antifa is the hearts and minds of every class conscious worker
The FBI has no answers should just be the headline for any news that involves them.
All right, fine. We meet at my place on Tuesdays. Every third Saturday is Activity Club and we vote on the event the meeting before. Last month was bowling. This month we’re taking a tour of a working farm that lets you milk their cows.
Sorry for all the confusion, everyone. We aim to operate with complete transparency from now on.
I’LL never tell!
[ laughs maniacally ]
Did they do the math on that sentence?
Anti-fascists and other anti-americans.
Anti-fascist = Anti-american
Divide both sides by anti.
Fascist = American
Fascist = American
Has been for a few decades, yes.
more than a few tbh. closer to a few centuries
Yes, but they normally do their best to pretend it isn’t the case. Though there is of course the argument that this ‘is’ their best.
It’s a tiny bit more subtle. “and other” gives us a subset relation:
Anti-fascists ⊂ Anti-americans
And then applying a negation flips it to
Fascists ⊃ Americans
And I’m hoping this still qualifies as reductio ad absurdum.
What do the horseshoe shapes mean?
I would search online but I have no idea how to phrase it because I don’t know what I’m looking at.
Don’t know the proper English terminology but it’s the mathematic way to write „all anti-fascists are anti-american“ and „all Americans are Fascists“ respectively
Subset and superset, respectively.
it’s called subset, if americans is a subset of fascists it means that all americans are also part of the set of all fascists, but there are fadcists that aren’t american. it also means that if you have an element of the set of americans you automatically know that it is also part of the subset of fascists
Ah, if only life had the clarity and balance of Algebra.
0, Trump’s asshole. Final answers.
You said antifa is a terrorist organization. Tell us, as a committee, how did you come to that? Where do they exist? How many members do they have in the United States as of right now?”
You fool, that’s exactly why they’re so dangerous! They can be everywhere and nowhere all at once. Everybody and nobody at the same time. That’s why it’s safest to just assume everyone who disagrees with the president is Antifa and then ask questions once you have people in custody.
the enemy is both everywhere and being kept at bay. it is simultaneously strong and weak.
this is a key aspect of fascism
Let’s be real we really didn’t have numbers for the 20+ multi country war against the Taliban either.
Schrödinger’s terrorist.
