Marco Rubio has invited senior ministers from more than 60 countries to a State Department meeting on what the Trump administration calls the “resurgence of transnational far-left terrorism”—and the reception from allies has been less than enthusiastic.
The July 16 meeting has triggered consternation among career U.S. officials, European governments, and independent analysts, many of whom do not share the administration’s assessment of the threat. Several European diplomats, speaking anonymously to avoid publicly criticizing the administration, told the Washington Post they had no idea why they were invited.
“We don’t have antifa,” said one. “I don’t think we can find any reason why we would be interested in attending such an event,” said another. A third was equally blunt: “Our law enforcement authorities have not focused on left-wing terrorism because this is not considered a high-priority threat in our country.”
The invitation, sent just last week with RSVPs due this Friday, gave invitees little notice. Several countries said their foreign or interior ministers were unlikely to attend, citing the busy summer diplomatic schedule. The short notice and vague aims of the meeting have contributed to the poor response.
The meeting is the latest in a series of attempts by the administration to rally international support for its framing of antifa as a serious terrorist threat—and each effort has landed badly. A State Department meeting on the topic in the Netherlands in late May fell flat, with most attendees conveying they did “not see it quite the way you do.” A follow-up gathering in Washington in early June was described as a “dud” by Puck News, with organizers reportedly sending out an email blast an hour in, encouraging people to still show up.
Inside the U.S. government, the effort is also generating pushback. Some intelligence analysts have declined to brief on antifa at interagency meetings because they do not regard it as a serious counterterrorism threat. Some Justice Department and White House Counsel’s Office officials have raised concerns, and some U.S. officials have decided not to attend the July 16 event at all.
The administration’s counterterrorism czar, Sebastian Gorka, has discussed using foreign terrorist designations for antifa to justify investigating Americans with ties to the movement—a step that would unlock tools including surveillance. But experts say this would be a legal stretch. “If it has any significant domestic presence, it cannot be designated,” said Jason Blazakis, who ran the State Department’s designation process for a decade.
Even some Trump administration officials are uneasy. One told the Post the effort risks setting a precedent that a future Democratic administration could turn on conservatives. “The idea is you’re setting a precedent for a future Gavin Newsom administration to turn these authorities on conservatives,” the official said.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Gorka are among those most enthusiastic about the hardline approach. During a White House roundtable, Miller backed designating antifa a foreign terrorist organization. “It’s true,” Miller said when Trump asked his opinion. “There are extensive foreign ties. I think that would be a very valid step to take.”
Counterterrorism experts are sharply critical of the whole framing. “This is the politicization of intelligence, and it’s dangerous because what they’re doing is basically playing partisan politics with counterterrorism, and only looking at a sliver of the overall threat,” said Colin P. Clarke of the Soufan Center. “If I were to rack and stack priorities, left-wing terrorists wouldn’t be in my top three,” added Bruce Hoffman of the Council on Foreign Relations, who noted that “to date left-wing violent extremism has typically been less lethal than other forms of terrorism.”
The administration’s own counterterrorism strategy, released in May, states it “will not permit the weaponization of America’s unparalleled CT capabilities for partisan purposes”—a pledge that several current officials say is being tested by the very meeting Rubio has convened.
The State Department has been approached for comment.
