Washington, Sep 17 (AP) President Donald Trump is ramping up threats to tackle what he calls the “radical left” in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, raising concerns that his administration may be leveraging outrage over the incident to clamp down on political opposition.
Despite no proven connection to last week’s shooting, the Republican president and his administration have discussed designating certain groups as domestic terrorists, launching racketeering investigations, and revoking tax-exempt status for progressive nonprofits.
The White House has identified Indivisible, a progressive activist network, and the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, as potential targets.
Although administration officials claim their primary goal is preventing violence, critics argue this is an extension of Trump’s vendetta against his political adversaries and a potential threat to free speech rights.
Any actions to undermine liberal groups could also affect the political landscape ahead of next year’s midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress and state legislatures nationwide.
“The radical left has done incredible damage to the country,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning before leaving for a state visit to the United Kingdom. “But we're fixing it.”
Trump has often made similar threats without subsequent action, but there is renewed fervor stemming from outrage over Kirk’s death. Kirk, a conservative activist who staunchly supported Trump and had ties to many of his advisers, was a prominent figure among his supporters.
White House Confronts 'Terrorist Networks' Authorities have stated they believe the suspect in Kirk’s murder acted alone and have charged him with murder. However, administration officials have repeatedly called for broader investigations and actions in response to Kirk’s assassination.
Attorney General Pam Bondi attributed the shooting to “left-wing radicals,” insisting “they will be held accountable.” Stephen Miller, a top policy adviser, claimed an “organized campaign” led to the killing. His comments were made during a discussion with Vice President JD Vance, who was guest-hosting Kirk’s talk show from his ceremonial White House office on Monday.
Miller expressed feeling “focused, righteous anger” and vowed to channel this anger to "uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks" using “every resource we have.” Vice President Vance dismissed claims that the White House would target constitutionally protected speech, instead indicating they would "go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates, and engages in violence.”
When asked for examples, the White House cited demonstrations where police officers and federal agents were injured, and the distribution of goggles and face masks during Los Angeles protests over immigration enforcement. There were reports that Indivisible offered reimbursements to those who gathered at Tesla dealerships in protest of Elon Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency, with some cars later being vandalized.
Indivisible’s leadership has condemned political violence as a “cancer on democracy” and stated their organization has “been threatened by right-wingers all year.”
Nonprofits Prepare for Potential Repercussions Trump’s executive actions have disturbed nonprofit organizations by attempting to restrict their operations or freeze federal funding, though more aggressive measures to revoke tax-exempt status have yet to be executed.
Currently, nonprofits are on edge, bolstering security for their offices and staff, and recruiting lawyers in anticipation of becoming unjustly targeted following the political violence.
“It’s a heightened atmosphere following political violence, and organizations fearing unjust targeting are ensuring they are ready,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the government watchdog group Public Citizen.
Trump has emphasized retribution against political enemies as a key part of his comeback strategy, mobilizing the federal government to reshape law firms, universities, and other traditionally independent institutions. He also initiated an investigation into ActBlue, an online liberal fundraising platform.
Some nonprofits foresee the administration focusing on prominent funders such as Soros, a liberal billionaire who has long been a conservative target, to dissuade potential donors.
Trump recently suggested Soros be subject to a racketeering investigation, though he did not specify allegations. The Open Society Foundations condemned violence and Kirk’s assassination in a statement, labeling it “disgraceful to use this tragedy for political ends to dangerously divide Americans and attack the First Amendment.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, remarked on social media that “the murder of Charlie Kirk could have united Americans to confront political violence” but “Trump and his anti-democratic radicals are poised to start a campaign to suppress dissent.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded by saying “it is disingenuous and false for Democrats to claim administration actions are about political speech.” She emphasized that the focus is to "target those committing criminal acts and hold them accountable.”
Republicans Support Trump’s Call for Probes Trump’s concerns about political violence appear distinctly partisan. He described the rioters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as “hostages” and “patriots,” subsequently pardoning 1,500 of them on his first day back in the Oval Office. He also mocked House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi following an attack on her husband.
In his video condemnation of Kirk's killing last week, Trump mentioned various examples of “radical left political violence” but did not acknowledge attacks on Democrats.
When questioned on Monday about the killing of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman over the summer, Trump replied, “I’m not familiar” with the case.
Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, commented in a newsletter, “Trump shrugs at right-wing political violence.”
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