Michael Glasheen, the operations director of the National Security Branch, was criticized after he told members of Congress that Antifa is "the most immediate violent threat" to the U.S. and could not answer simple questions to justify his claim.
Antifa is a loose network of anti-fascist activists with no central structure, no funding, no membership roster, and no offices or leadership hierarchy for prosecutors to target. Despite this, President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order declaring it a "domestic terror organization," a move that's been celebrated by his supporters.
Speaking during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland," Glasheen said he agreed with Trump that Antifa poses a major national security threat:
“We share the same view. When you look at the data right now, you look at the domestic terrorist threat that we’re facing right now, what I see from my position, is that’s the most immediate violent threat that we’re facing on the domestic side."
Glasheen paused for a long moment when asked by Mississippi Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson to share where Antifa "is headquartered" and could not provide a straight answer when asked where it "exists," only responding:
“We are building out the infrastructure right now."
Thompson pressed further:
“What does that mean? We’re trying to get information. You said Antifa is a terrorist organization. Tell us, as a committee, how did you come to that? Do they exist? How many members do they have in the United States as of right now?”
Glasheen replied:
"Well, that's very fluid. It's ongoing for us to understand that. It's no different than Al-Qaeda and ISIS."
Thompson said:
"I asked you one question. Sir, I just want you to tell us — if you said Antifa is the No. 1 domestic terrorist organization operating in the United States, I just need to know where they are … how many people have you identified with the FBI that Antifa is made of."
When Glasheen paused again and could only say that "the investigations are active," Thompson was firm:
“Sir, you wouldn’t come to this committee and say something you can’t prove. I know you wouldn’t do that. But you did.”
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
Glasheen was swiftly criticized.
Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi circulated a memo to federal prosecutors detailing potential avenues for charging organizations the administration claims are connected to Antifa.
Though framed as general guidance on pursuing cases related to domestic extremism and political violence, the document singles out Antifa as its lone example and highlights positions that conflict with those of the Trump administration.
The memo could lay the groundwork for prosecutions of several left-leaning nonprofits and advocacy groups that Trump officials have—without offering evidence—accused of having links to extremist activity.
Bondi wrote that "violence against what extremists claim to be fascism is the clarion call of recent domestic terrorism," adding:
“These domestic terrorists use violence or the threat of violence to advance political and social agendas, including opposition to law and immigration enforcement; extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, or anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the United States Government; hostility towards traditional views on family, religion, and morality; and an elevation of violence to achieve policy outcomes, such as political assassinations.”
Bondi's memo directs the FBI to “disseminate an intelligence bulletin on Antifa and Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremist groups."
She also cited the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, which the Trump administration has used as justification to crack down on leftist groups despite the well-documented fact that Kirk's killer was affiliated with the right-wing.
