Rick Scott seeks terror group designation for antifa

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott^[1] is looking to give Donald Trump’s fight with antifa^[2] new life on Capitol Hill, filing a bill to brand the left-wing network as domestic terrorists and lock Trump’s executive order^[3] into law.

While a precise definition or membership for antifa^[4] is elusive given the decentralized nature^[5] of the network, Scott is nevertheless putting legislation forward.

“Antifa has gotten away with its evils and terrorized cities across our country for far too long,” Scott said.

“Violence against our brave law enforcement officers and ICE agents will not be tolerated — especially when it’s domestic terrorists like Antifa wreaking havoc on our communities. These people actively work to destroy the American way of life and call for the overthrow of American government and society.”

Scott’s Stop ANTIFA Act^[6] would “codify President Trump’s executive order^[7] and national security presidential memorandum^[8] designating Antifa a domestic terrorist group and countering domestic terrorism and organized political violence,” a press release noted.

Trump’s memo asserted that “networks, entities, and organizations that foment political violence” are an example of the antifa movement, which is devoted to what the White House defines as “domestic terrorism.”

To that end, Scott’s bill would “direct the National Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate and treat Antifa as the domestic terrorists they are, and stop their violent suppression of political speech, destruction of the rule of law, and the terror and intimidation they infuse into the communities they target.”

“Trump was right to fearlessly call them out as the domestic terrorists they are and to take action to stop their evils around the nation and uncover the funding behind it,” Scott said Tuesday