If the White House has an authoritarian toolkit to use on civil protesters, you can thank Biden for it.
In 2021, when the Democrat-controlled Congress and the Biden administration were attempting to set up a new domestic terrorism program, human rights groups—ones that had typically fretted over the rightwing militia groups that the program was designed to combat—were the first to express dismay. “We write to express our deep concern regarding proposed expansion of terrorism-related legal authority,” wrote 157 different signatories, in a letter to Congress. “We must meet the challenge of addressing white nationalist and far-right militia violence without causing further harm to communities already disproportionately impacted by the criminal-legal system.” Meanwhile, a swell of CIA and national security officials eagerly urged the government to create new legal authorities to treat Americans like terrorists.
Now, as Trump’s second term gets underway, the new rightwing government appears to be using the legal and operational infrastructure set up during the Biden years to go after leftwing protesters. Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein is out with a new article on the Trump administration’s blossoming counterterrorism strategy, which, according to government insiders, is poised to target Americans who express discontent about the president or his wealthy allies.
“So-called Tesla terrorism and potential anti-Trump violence is driving new articulations of the threat,” a senior intelligence official told Klippenstein.
Indeed, in recent weeks, the Justice Department has pivoted federal law enforcement away from more traditional enemies and towards people who vandalize Tesla dealerships. Several people arrested and accused of having firebombed the cars will likely be charged with “domestic terrorism” charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi has said. Meanwhile, critics of Israel have also become a target for the government’s roving eye.
As previously noted, the precedent for much of this was set by the previous administration.
