Democratic and Republican officials on Sunday took aim at groups like Antifa and Boogaloo as well as demonstrators from out of town as responsible for violent episodes at protests in major cities across the country.
President Donald Trump tweeted that he was designating Antifa as a terrorist organization.
That followed Trump and Attorney General William Barr earlier pointing to anti-fascist organizers and anarchists as culprits behind the mayhem following the death of a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, at the hands of Minneapolis police. Others said right-wing extremists such as Boogaloo followers, who hope to bring about a second Civil War, were pushing for such uprising in the protests.
"This is being driven by Antifa," national security adviser Robert O'Brien told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "And they did it in Seattle. They have done it in Portland. They have done it in Berkeley. This is a destructive force of radical — I don't even know if we want to call them leftists. Whatever they are, they're — they're militants who are coming in and burning our cities, and we're going to get to the bottom of it."
Antifa, meaning "anti-fascist," is a coalition of protesters, left-wing activists and self-described anarchists who seek to physically confront and bring down what they deem as the far right. Trump and his administration have long targeted the group, which has made its presence felt at protests throughout his presidency.
"And if they haven't been doing that, we need a plan right away to make sure that happens," O'Brien told reporters after appearing in the Sunday shows. "I think the attorney general has already been in touch with (FBI) Director Wray, and I think the President wants to know what the FBI has been doing, and what their plan is going forward, and if they haven't been doing anything about Antifa."
O'Brien said that while he condemns "all extremists," he pinned the violence on left-wing radicals.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted the "big story" being missed is that in "city after city we have a rogues gallery of terrorists from Antifa to 'Boogaloo' groups encouraging & committing violence."
"They may not be ideologically compatible but share a hatred of govt & police & are taking advantage of the protests," Rubio, acting chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, added, saying the demonstrators "don't fit a simple left vs. right identity."
These individuals want to "tear the whole system down even if it requires a new civil war, Rubio said.
President Donald Trump tweeted that he was designating Antifa as a terrorist organization.
That followed Trump and Attorney General William Barr earlier pointing to anti-fascist organizers and anarchists as culprits behind the mayhem following the death of a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, at the hands of Minneapolis police. Others said right-wing extremists such as Boogaloo followers, who hope to bring about a second Civil War, were pushing for such uprising in the protests.
"This is being driven by Antifa," national security adviser Robert O'Brien told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "And they did it in Seattle. They have done it in Portland. They have done it in Berkeley. This is a destructive force of radical — I don't even know if we want to call them leftists. Whatever they are, they're — they're militants who are coming in and burning our cities, and we're going to get to the bottom of it."
Antifa, meaning "anti-fascist," is a coalition of protesters, left-wing activists and self-described anarchists who seek to physically confront and bring down what they deem as the far right. Trump and his administration have long targeted the group, which has made its presence felt at protests throughout his presidency.
"And if they haven't been doing that, we need a plan right away to make sure that happens," O'Brien told reporters after appearing in the Sunday shows. "I think the attorney general has already been in touch with (FBI) Director Wray, and I think the President wants to know what the FBI has been doing, and what their plan is going forward, and if they haven't been doing anything about Antifa."
O'Brien said that while he condemns "all extremists," he pinned the violence on left-wing radicals.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted the "big story" being missed is that in "city after city we have a rogues gallery of terrorists from Antifa to 'Boogaloo' groups encouraging & committing violence."
"They may not be ideologically compatible but share a hatred of govt & police & are taking advantage of the protests," Rubio, acting chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, added, saying the demonstrators "don't fit a simple left vs. right identity."
These individuals want to "tear the whole system down even if it requires a new civil war, Rubio said.
