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Exclusive: Donald Trump Followers Targeted by FBI as 2024 Election Nears - Creates 'MAGA' Extremist Category
Newsweek ^ | 10/04/2023 | WILLIAM M. ARKIN

Posted on 10/04/2023 10:03:02 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

The federal government believes that the threat of violence and major civil disturbances around the 2024 U.S. presidential election is so great that it has quietly created a new category of extremists that it seeks to track and counter: Donald Trump's army of MAGA followers.

The challenge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the primary federal agency charged with law enforcement, is to pursue and prevent what it calls domestic terrorism without direct reference to political parties or affiliations—even though the vast majority of its current "anti-government" investigations are of Trump supporters, according to classified data obtained by Newsweek.

"The FBI is in an almost impossible position," says a current FBI official, who requested anonymity to discuss highly sensitive internal matters. The official said that the FBI is intent on stopping domestic terrorism and any repeat of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. But the Bureau must also preserve the Constitutional right of all Americans to campaign, speak freely and protest the government. By focusing on former president Trump and his MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters, the official said, the Bureau runs the risk of provoking the very anti-government activists that the terrorism agencies hope to counter.

"Especially at a time when the White House is facing Congressional Republican opposition claiming that the Biden administration has 'weaponized' the Bureau against the right wing, it has to tread very carefully," says the official.

Newsweek spoke to over a dozen current or former government officials who specialize in terrorism in a three-month investigation to understand the current domestic-security landscape and to evaluate what President Joe Biden's administration is doing about what it calls domestic terrorism. Most requested anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly, were reluctant to stray into partisan politics or feared repercussions of speaking frankly.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2024; extremism; fbi; fbiweaponized; maga; magaextremist; magaextremists; marxisttyranny; policestate; surveillance; tyranny; williamarkin
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1 posted on 10/04/2023 10:03:02 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
FROM ZERO HEDGE EXCERPT:

The agency has even created a new subcategory of threats, "AGAAVE-Other," to denote those who are a threat but don't fit into its anarchist, militia or Sovereign Citizen categories.
Introduced without any announcement, and reported here for the first time, the new classification is officially defined as "domestic violent extremists who cite anti-government or anti-authority motivations for violence or criminal activity not otherwise defined, such as individuals motivated by a desire to commit violence against those with a real or perceived association with a specific political party or faction of a specific political party." -Newsweek
Trump or MAGA aren't directly mentioned in the official description of AGAAVE-Other, however "government insiders acknowledge that it applies to political violence ascribed to the former president's supporters."
2 posted on 10/04/2023 10:06:10 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
That means there are over 80 million MAGA extremists.

Pretty good chance some of us will slip under the radar. /s

3 posted on 10/04/2023 10:07:32 PM PDT by Widget Jr (🇺🇸 Trump 2024 🇺🇸)
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To: SeekAndFind

I hope the Secret Service has their very best people on Biden. I would tell them double the detail

Biden is dead weight on the Democrat candidates everywhere. They cannot dumb him because then Harris is next. Harris is even more unpopular currently. They cannot dump Harris without losing the black woman vote which is a critical component of their voter base.

It would be really useful to the Democrat party political machine if something were to happen to Biden. Especially if they have a “MAGA Extremist” they can blame it on. That would immediacy off set Harris unlikability issue just like killing Kennedy’s handed LBJ a landslide in 1964 due to the “sympathy vote”.


4 posted on 10/04/2023 10:08:56 PM PDT by MNJohnnie (Don't blame me, my congressman is MTG!)
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To: SeekAndFind

.


5 posted on 10/04/2023 10:16:13 PM PDT by sauropod (I will stand for truth even if I stand alone.)
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To: SeekAndFind

“””it has quietly created a new category of extremists that it seeks to track and counter: Donald Trump’s army of MAGA followers.”””

In other words, Republican voters supporting the GOP former President running for reelection.


6 posted on 10/04/2023 10:20:06 PM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: SeekAndFind

Well sounds like a 1st class list to be on..I myself think they better have all their agents out in the field monitoring us..I think they will make great feedback for the Hogs.


7 posted on 10/04/2023 10:21:09 PM PDT by dpetty121263
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To: SeekAndFind

They already had such a category even as Trump was in office.
They’re just admitting to it now.


8 posted on 10/04/2023 10:21:45 PM PDT by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same. )
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To: SeekAndFind

Count me in, FBI.

I’m one!


9 posted on 10/04/2023 10:25:35 PM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Repeal the Patriot Act; Abolish the DHS; reform FBI top to bottom!)
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To: SeekAndFind

“But the Bureau must also preserve the Constitutional right of all Americans to campaign, speak freely and protest the government.”

_________________________

Since when have they ever allowed the Constitution to get in the way of their agenda?

Must be a new tactic?


10 posted on 10/04/2023 10:30:37 PM PDT by patriot torch (..)
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To: Alas Babylon!

The problem is that there will be events that are made up of whole cloth, and trotted out as evidence that cracked heads are reasonable. This doesn’t sound good.


11 posted on 10/04/2023 10:32:12 PM PDT by healy61 (.)
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To: SeekAndFind

80+ million Trump voters as compared to a few thousand fbi jack boots.

...I don’t think the MAGA folks are the extremists.


12 posted on 10/04/2023 10:35:14 PM PDT by farmguy ( )
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To: Darksheare

I think they did it as far back as the Tea Party Days.

Rumors going they were taking pictures of plates at rallies.


13 posted on 10/04/2023 10:36:59 PM PDT by RushIsMyTeddyBear ("Equity" = "All animals are equal. Some animals are more equal than others.")
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To: SeekAndFind

Dear Feds who monitor these threads, please put me on your list. It would be an honor and o e I will try and deserve

Sincerely
Grayson Beard


14 posted on 10/04/2023 10:42:04 PM PDT by Fai Mao ( Starve the Beast and steal its food)
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To: RushIsMyTeddyBear

I remember that.


15 posted on 10/04/2023 10:51:27 PM PDT by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same. )
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To: SeekAndFind

I think MAGA is supposed to perceive this government ‘concern’ as a threat - a warning that supporting Trump entails risk of abuse from the ‘agencies’.


16 posted on 10/04/2023 10:55:07 PM PDT by ransomnote (IN GOD WE TRUST)
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To: MNJohnnie

a landslide in 1964 due to the “sympathy vote”.

LBJ carried South Dakota..the second democrat to do so


17 posted on 10/04/2023 10:55:53 PM PDT by South Dakota (Patriotism is the new terrorism .)
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To: SeekAndFind

So the majority of Americans are on the FBI terrorist list.


18 posted on 10/04/2023 10:58:12 PM PDT by gitmo
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To: gitmo

Everyone is on the list. Not just the majority


19 posted on 10/04/2023 11:00:11 PM PDT by CJ Wolf ( what is scarier than offensive words? Not being able to say them. )
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To: SeekAndFind

“Show me the man, I’ll find you the crime.” from Stalin’s secret police chief Beria.


20 posted on 10/04/2023 11:12:30 PM PDT by citizen (Put all LBQTwhatever programming on a new subscription service: PERV-TV)
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