The notion that the violent protests cropping up in U.S. cities are funded by a secret, shadowy cabal is a myth.
Last week, following President Donald Trump’s Republican National Convention acceptance speech at the White House, protesters surrounded Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) and his wife on the streets of Washington, D. C. Video footage showed that the encounter grew tense, and the Pauls say they had to rely on the police to prevent the crowd from assaulting them. These protesters deserve condemnation. It was wrong of them to make the Pauls fear for their physical safety. (They were also tactically confused: Why shout « say her name » at the senator who introduced a bill named after the « her » in question?) If the activists committed any crimes, they should be held accountable. But some critics of these activists—including Paul himself—want the government to investigate the purported funding sources of the protests. As Paul explained in an op-ed for Fox News: After we got back to our hotel room and some safety we heard something frightening. The « protesters » were staying on our floor—including the room next door to us. They were talking about their mob activities and even saying they thought we were here on this floor.
