Andy McCarthy: Antifa is a terrorist organization and should be treated as one
Former U.S. attorney and Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy says President Trump has a constitutional obligation to help law enforcement protect the states and restore order.
Former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy reacted Monday to President Trump’s move to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization, explaining how the group will be treated under the law.
“We don’t need a designation when a group is operating domestically because we have an array of laws to deal with terrorists,” McCarthy, a Fox News contributor, told “America’s Newsroom.”
“You can designate them cumquats if you want. The important thing is how you treat them. They are a terrorist organization, they should be treated as a terrorist organization,” McCarthy said.
WHAT IS ANTIFA, THE FAR-LEFT GROUP TIED TO VIOLENT PROTESTS?
Meanwhile, the son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison tweeted on Sunday that he is declaring his support for Antifa after Trump said that his administration would be declaring it a "Terrorist Organization."
Jeremiah Ellison, who is a member of the Minneapolis City Council, noted in the tweet that he believes "white power" terrorists are actually the ones engaging in the looting, arson and other riot activities as violent sects hijack some of the protests against racial inequality and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd last Monday.
Floyd died in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department after officials said officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd, who is black, to the ground by his neck for several minutes as Floyd begged for air. Chauvin was later charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Sunday night that the Attorney General Keith Ellison's office would lead the case against Chauvin.
McCarthy said that while the federal government has been "slow to react" to the riots that have swept across the U.S., two tracks have to be pursued by federal and state authorities.
"On the law enforcement track, you have to prosecute them," McCarthy said, mentioning that he prosecuted terrorists in the 1990s for waging war against the U.S.
"There is a statute that deals with that," McCarthy said. "For an interstate group like Antifa, you can use the racketeering laws. As the attorney general said, there are laws against rioting. There is a lot of laws we can use," McCarthy said.
McCarthy explained further that law enforcement alone cannot restore order, and Trump has an obligation under the Constitution to protect the states against insurrection and domestic violence.
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"That has to be done, including deploying the armed forces to the extent that that's necessary in places where you have such unrest that that's the only possible alternative," he said. "Law enforcement can't accomplish that."
Fox News' Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
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