FBI Director Kash Patel has announced that federal investigators have uncovered what he described as financial networks tied to Antifa-linked activity, warning that additional enforcement actions could follow against the violent far-left group.
Sharing a clip from an interview with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, Patel wrote in a post on X:
“Whether it’s Antifa or any other violent criminal organization—we know their operations don’t exist alone; they operate with heavy funding streams.”
Patel added that federal authorities are actively pursuing both perpetrators and their financial backers, stating the bureau is “finding them and those who fund their criminal activity.”
This @FBI is following the money.
Whether it’s ANTIFA or any other violent criminal organization – we know their operations don’t exist alone, they operate with heavy funding streams.
We’re finding them and those who fund their criminal activity. @dbongino pic.twitter.com/37pAHATufA
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 18, 2026
Following the Money
While Patel did not publicly identify specific organizations or donors, he said investigators are examining whether funds moved through U.S.-based nonprofit groups, including entities with tax-exempt status, as well as potential foreign funding sources.
“Money doesn’t lie,” Patel told Bongino, explaining that agents are “following the money.”
He added that agents have already begun arresting individuals accused of using financial support to incite violence “in the guise of political peaceful protest.”
The comments mark one of the clearest indications yet that federal law enforcement is expanding scrutiny beyond street-level actors to the infrastructure allegedly sustaining extremist activity.
Terrorist Designation Under Trump
The enforcement push follows actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration to formally designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
An executive order issued September 22 described Antifa as a “militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law.”
Foreign Antifa-linked groups were later designated as foreign terrorist organizations in late 2025.
The State Department said affiliated groups promote “revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies, including anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity.”
Antifa and similar groups use those beliefs to justify violent assaults in the United States and abroad.
Arrests and Terrorism Charges
Federal prosecutors have already begun testing the designation in court.
In October 2025, authorities filed terrorism-related charges against five individuals in Texas accused of supporting Antifa in connection with a July shooting that wounded a police officer outside an immigration detention facility.
All five later pleaded guilty, marking what Patel previously described as the first use of a material-support-to-terrorism charge tied to Antifa.
Patel has also rejected claims that Antifa is merely an ideological label rather than an organized movement, noting that dozens of arrests in Texas alone have been linked to the group.
Broader Enforcement Ahead
The FBI director’s remarks suggest the bureau is preparing a wider crackdown focused not only on violent actors but also on the financial pipelines that allegedly enable them.
With investigators scrutinizing nonprofits, foreign money flows, and domestic supporters, Patel’s warning signals that additional arrests and potentially broader terrorism prosecutions may be forthcoming as federal authorities intensify efforts to dismantle Antifa-linked networks.
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