FBI Leader Crumbles During Basic Questions About Threat of “Antifa”
The FBI branch and director of operations were unable to answer basic questions about the Trump administration’s designation of Antifa as a terrorist organization during a congressional hearing Thursday.
Michael Glasheen was testifying before the House Committee on Homeland Security and told Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson that after Antifa, a political designation and movement meaning “anti-fascism,” had been designated by President Trump as a domestic terrorist organization, “that’s our primary concern right now.”
Antifa is “the most immediate violent threat we face on the domestic side,” Glasheen said, prompting Thompson to ask, “So where is Antifa headquarters?”
Glasheen stumbled and tried to say, “What are we doing right now with the organization…” before Thompson interrupted and firmly asked, “Where in the United States does Antifa exist, if it’s a terrorist organization and you’ve identified it as number one?”
“We are currently building the infrastructure,” Glasheen replied. This did not satisfy Thompson.
GLASHEEN: Antifa is our biggest concern right now. This is the most immediate violent threat we face
BENNIE THOMPSON: Where is Antifa headquarters?
GLASHEEN: … …we are currently building the infrastructure
THOMPSON: What does that mean? pic.twitter.com/FBzRJ5dCBj-Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 11, 2025
“So what does that mean?” » asked Thompson. “You said Antifa is a terrorist organization. Tell us, as a committee, how did you get to this point? Where do they exist? How many members do they have in the United States right now?”
Glasheen couldn’t offer anything concrete, saying the answers to Thompson’s questions are fluid and that it was “a work in progress for us to figure this out, like Al Qaeda and ISIS.”
Thompson pressed further, saying he just wanted to know the makeup of Antifa, and Glasheen tried to deflect attention, saying the investigations were active, almost shrugging his shoulders to say he didn’t know, allowing Thompson to illustrate the point he was trying to make.
“Sir, you wouldn’t come before this committee and say something that you can’t prove, I know. I know you wouldn’t do that. But you did it,” Thompson concluded.
The truth is that Trump’s targeting of antifa is disingenuous. Antifa is not a centralized group but rather a movement or ideology oppose fascism. Trump simply designated it a terrorist organization to attack any left-wing opposition to himself or his far-right allies. Thursday’s hearing made clear that Glasheen, a career FBI official who has worked under several presidents, knows all this. The question is how much the rest of the federal government is willing to accept this lie.
