FBI Director Kash Patel said Wednesday that investigators have uncovered what he described as major funding streams tied to antifa.
The revelation signaled possible new enforcement action as the bureau intensified scrutiny of left-wing violence, according to a report from the Washington Examiner.
Speaking on "The Dan Bongino Show," Patel said the FBI under President Donald Trump has been conducting a financial investigation into how demonstrations linked to the loosely organized far left movement are supported.
"These organizations don’t operate alone or in silence," Patel said. "They operate with a heavy, heavy stream of funding.
And we started looking into it, and guess what? We found them."
Patel did not identify specific donors, organizations, or financial mechanisms, but said more details could emerge in the coming months as the investigation continues.
The FBI director said agents are examining whether funding has flowed through U.S.-based nonprofit groups, including some with tax-exempt status, as well as possible foreign sources.
He emphasized that investigators are focused on tracing financial support tied to acts of violence and not constitutionally protected protest activity.
"Money doesn’t lie," Patel said, describing the effort as a strategy of "following the money" to determine who may be underwriting unlawful conduct.
Patel also pointed to prosecutions the bureau has already brought that he said were connected to antifa-related violence, including federal arrests and convictions tied to protest incidents in multiple states.
He referenced the ongoing federal trial involving nine defendants in Texas who are accused of ambushing and attempting to murder ICE personnel on July 4, 2025.
Patel also cited a case from 2023 in Georgia surrounding the proposed Atlanta public safety training facility known as Cop City.
The director said the FBI has elevated the issue internally by creating what he described as a dedicated program focused on identifying financial backers of protest-related violence.
"Tracking antifa has become so important" that the bureau established additional resources to investigate the funding behind such activity, he said.
Antifa has long been described by participants and many analysts as a decentralized movement rather than a formal organization, a distinction that has complicated past law enforcement efforts to pursue conspiracy-style cases.
However, Patel points to antifa organizational structures, including conferences and a national network for local chapters.
Bongino criticized past FBI leadership under former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for describing antifa as "an idea."
He said "It’s not an idea when actual action follows the idea."
In September 2025, Trump signed an executive order declaring antifa a domestic terror organization after first raising the idea during his first term.
Patel said the FBI’s current approach relies on intelligence and financial investigations similar to those used in other counterterrorism probes, but he did not announce new charges tied specifically to the alleged funding networks.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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