Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) requested FBI Director Christopher Wray begin a RICO investigation into Antifa, citing its violent action in Portland, Oregon that saw journalist Andy Ngo hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage and the recent Antifa domestic terrorist attack in Tacoma, Washington in which a member of Antifa attacked a migrant detention facility armed with an AR-15 rifle and Molotov cocktails.

Cruz is one of the only members of Congress who are actively calling for investigations into Antifa, and he doubled down on his position when questioning Wray earlier today.

“Let me turn to a final topic, which is an area of concern for me, which is a group that has called itself Antifa, which ironically is short for anti fascism, and yet they engage in the conduct of fascists,” said Cruz. “They engage in violent protests, masked men and women engaging in physical violence. We saw recently the Rose City chapter of Antifa in Portland Oregon that was assaulting citizens and disrupting traffic, violently assaulted one journalist so severely that he was hospitalized for brain hemorrhage.”

Cruz then spoke of the Tacoma terrorist attack.

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“Another Antifa terrorist attacked a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Tacoma, Washington igniting a vehicle and attempting to ignite a propane tank,” said Cruz.

Cruz then explained that he believes this is not mere happenstance, but that he is concerned it may be part of organized behavior on behalf of Antifa, and put the question to Wray.

“I am concerned that these are not isolated incidents but rather this is a pattern, an organization that is engaged in masked, anonymous, violent terrorism. To what extent is the FBI concerned about the threat of violent activity from an organization like Antifa?”

ICYMI at today's @senjudiciary hearing: I urged FBI Director Wray to open a RICO investigation into Antifa. pic.twitter.com/zlkTcKW0kb — Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) July 23, 2019

In his characteristic fashion, Wray seemed to minimize the behavior of Antifa and the role of the organization.

“We are absolutely concerned about violence committed on behalf of any ideology, any extremism, and the key is though,” Wray continued, “The FBI does not investigate ideology, we investigate violent criminal activity, and if it’s fueled by some ideology, then that’s how it gets wrapped into our mandate.”

Wray went on to explain that the Antifa group, in the eyes of the FBI, is an ideology and not a radical group of terrorists pledging to commit violence.

“So for us, Antifa, we view it more of an ideology than an organization. We have quite a number though, I should tell you, of properly predicated investigations of what we categorize as anarchist extremists,” Wray continued, “And some of those people do subscribe to what we would refer to as kind of an Antifa-like ideology.”

Cruz then stressed that he views Antifa as an organization, and informed Wray that he will be sending him a letter requesting a RICO investigation into the group.

“I will today be sending a letter to you and the Department of Justice asking the department to open a RICO investigation into Antifa because I believe they ar engaged in a similar coordinated effort,” said Cruz, comparing Antifa to the mafia and the Ku Klux Klan.

Cruz also blasted politicians who have repeatedly sided with Antifa and forced police departments to stand down when faced with their violence.

“It’s a pattern, sadly, that we saw, we have seen with politicians who favored Klan violence, and I think every citizen deserves law enforcement protection regardless of their ideology.”

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