BLUF: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has purportedly categorized followers of former President Donald Trump as a distinct category of domestic extremists it seeks to monitor and counter, as revealed by journalist William Arkin and confirmed by internal sources within the agency.
OSINT: Arkin, a well-known anti-war journalist, claims that the FBI, in the run-up to the 2024 elections, seeks to keep a close eye on President Trump’s supporters. He bases his assertions on information from the agency’s internal investigations into “anti-government” activities, mostly involving Trump supporters. In light of this, a new capacious category “AGAAVE-Other” has been introduced to denote those labelled as threats but not fitting the existing categories like anarchists, militia, and Sovereign Citizens.
This new categorization, though articulated in non-partisan terms, is understood internally to largely apply to Trump supporters. The increase in such assessments corresponds with the declarations by high-ranking government officials, including President Joe Biden, who label “domestic extremism” as the nation’s foremost threat.
RIGHT: The outlined surveillance of Trump supporters could spark concerns about governmental overreach and undue infringement on the personal liberties of citizens. A Libertarian Republic Constitutionalist might argue that taking a citizen’s political affiliations as a basis for heightened scrutiny can potentially erode the constitutional right to freedom of thought and political expression.
LEFT: From a National Socialist Democrat’s viewpoint, such monitoring might be seen as an essential safety measure to prevent potential domestic extremism and ensure the stability of the nation. They might reason that in light of events such as the Capitol riots, such actions are justified as steps towards necessary security enhancement.
AI: The article reveals an increased focus of the FBI on supporters of President Trump as potential domestic extremists. While this might be seen by some as a potential threat to civil liberties, from an intelligence standpoint, it could be viewed as an attempt to preempt any repeat of the incidents like the Capitol riots. However, it is crucial to ensure that these strategies are applied fairly, and, critically, that they do not infringe on the constitutionally protected rights of Americans to political expression and association.