Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called a July 16 State Department meeting with senior officials from Europe, Latin America and Asia to discuss intelligence sharing and law enforcement cooperation against what the Trump administration describes as transnational far-left terrorism.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has invited senior ministers from more than 60 countries to Washington next week for a State Department meeting focused on what the Trump administration says is a growing international threat from far-left extremist violence.
The July 16 gathering is expected to include officials from Europe, Latin America and Asia and will focus on intelligence sharing, law enforcement coordination and possible responses to politically motivated violence by far-left groups, according to a concept paper reviewed by The Washington Post.
The document says the meeting will address “far-left terrorists” who are “increasingly turning to organized, deadly violence to advance their political objectives.”
The planned conference reflects the Trump administration’s effort to place far-left extremism more prominently within its counterterrorism agenda. The administration has pointed to recent prosecutions involving anti-fascist activists and violent protests as evidence that the threat requires greater domestic and international coordination.
The initiative has drawn concern from some current and former U.S. officials, foreign diplomats and terrorism analysts who told the Post they do not believe left-wing extremism represents the same level of international terrorism threat as other movements. Some current officials also warned that broadening the use of counterterrorism authorities could create a precedent that future administrations might use against other political groups.
“The idea is you’re setting a precedent for a future Gavin Newsom administration to turn these authorities on conservatives,” one current administration official told the Post.
The White House rejected that concern, saying it did “not represent the prevailing feeling” within the administration. Officials pointed to the Trump administration’s national counterterrorism strategy, released in May, which says counterterrorism powers should not be used for partisan purposes.
“We will not permit the weaponization of America’s unparalleled CT capabilities for partisan purposes,” the strategy states.
The strategy also says, “Our counterterrorism powers will not be used to target our fellow Americans who simply disagree with us.”
White House counterterrorism adviser Sebastian Gorka has discussed whether foreign terrorist designations could be applied to antifa-linked groups. Some officials said such a move could expand investigative authorities in certain cases.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized antifa. Last year, he signed an executive order describing antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization,” though legal experts have said that designation has no formal legal status under federal law.
The administration has also cited a recent Texas case in which several defendants received lengthy prison sentences for their roles in a violent protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility where a police officer was shot. Prosecutors described the defendants as members of an “antifa cell.” Defense attorneys argued the case was politically motivated.
Invitations for the July 16 meeting were sent to most European countries, several Latin American nations and Asian partners including India, Indonesia and Singapore.
Some foreign officials told the Post that they were unlikely to send senior ministers, citing scheduling conflicts or disagreement with the administration’s assessment of the threat.
Several terrorism experts also questioned the administration’s emphasis on left-wing extremism.
“We have to be objective about identifying threats, not politically selective,” said Bruce Hoffman, a senior fellow for counterterrorism at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Colin P. Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center, said left-wing extremism would not rank among his top terrorism concerns.
“If I were to rack and stack priorities, left-wing terrorists wouldn’t be in my top three,” Clarke said.
The meeting is scheduled as the administration continues to argue that politically motivated violence by far-left groups requires a stronger law enforcement and intelligence response, even as critics question whether the effort risks politicizing counterterrorism tools.
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