Chad Wolf, the unlawfully appointed acting homeland security secretary, claimed Monday night that the Justice Department is “working on” criminal charges for the leaders of Black Lives Matter and antifa (the latter being leaderless, which renders this claim especially ridiculous). On Tuesday morning the Justice Department denied its attempts to infringe on First Amendment rights, but Wolf raised a giant red flag that doesn't disappear with that denial.
Wolf’s claim came during an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who really, really wants such criminal charges, having fantasized publicly about seeing Black Lives Matter leaders “frog-marched” in “mass arrests.” Monday night he pressed Wolf to fulfill his fantasy.
“Why haven’t we seen the leaders of antifa and BLM arrested and charged with conspiracy under, say, RICO like the heads of Mafia families were?” Carlson asked.
”Well, this is something that I have talked to the A.G. personally about,” Wolf replied. “I know that they are working on it.”
A Justice Department spokeswoman claimed: “We are investigating coordinated, criminal activity—not First Amendment activity—and violence related to riots, destruction of federal property, and violence against law enforcement officers.”
Do we trust William Barr’s Justice Department? We do not. The claim of “investigating coordinated, criminal activity” could all too easily turn—with no basis in fact—into exactly what Carlson is angling for and Wolf said was coming. Barr has made clear that he’ll ultimately do whatever Trump wants, and Trump definitely wants state oppression against Black Lives Matter activists. We don’t know what the specific plans might look like, but Wolf’s initial “I know that they are working on it” is the most believable statement here.
