The Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi has taken a significant step toward surveilling left-wing groups as part of a counterterrorism operation, raising concerns among observers.

This development follows reports from September indicating that a DOJ official sought to open a terrorism investigation into George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist and Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor. Soros, known for backing numerous liberal causes worldwide, has frequently been the target of right-wing conspiracy theories.

A memo dated Friday from Bondi directs the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) to initiate a surveillance program targeting groups aligned with the so-called “antifa” or anti-fascist movement. Antifa is known for its involvement in left-wing protests across the country.

“The FBI and its JTTF partners must adopt strategies similar to those used to address violent crime and organized crime to disrupt and dismantle entire networks of criminal activity,” the memo states.

Among other instructions, the memo requires that “within 60 days of the issuance of this guidance, the FBI, in coordination with its partners on the JTTFs, shall disseminate an intelligence bulletin on Antifa and Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremist groups,” including details on their “structure” and “funding.”

The memo has sparked outrage among a number of analysts.

“Very concerning: In a new memo dated today, AG Bondi announces that FBI/JTTF will launch NSPM-7-based expansion of state surveillance of left-wing organizations that it characterizes as ‘domestic terrorism,’” wrote Detroit-based immigration attorney Eric Lee.

“This NSPM-7 rollout at DOJ & FBI is terrifying,” commented Larry Pfeiffer, director of the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security.

California State University Fullerton philosophy professor Amy Coplan added, “Given the haphazard way in which the administration classifies groups, this is likely to be a way for the administration to try to neutralize or punish anyone who isn’t in its corner. It’s alarming.”
https://www.rawstory.com/doj-terrorism/