U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) led his Republican colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in introducing legislation that would investigate the involvement of Antifa during the riots and looting that took place nationwide in 2020.
Rep. Bacon was joined by U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) in introducing the bill, H.R. 4117, which would create a National Commission on Domestic Terror Attacks on the United States by Antifa. The bill, which was unveiled on June 24, will be considered by the House Judiciary Committee.
“While the majority of participants in demonstrations across the country in 2020 were peaceful, the events themselves became destructive due to organized pushes for violence by Antifa,” said Rep. Bacon. “Just as with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, we must learn the truth about who is behind the violence and who is pushing the narrative to try and weaken our country and scare people into submission.”
The new commission would be independent, bipartisan, and structured much like the 9/11 commission. It would mirror the proposed Jan. 6 commission formed in H.R. 3233, which passed the House in May but failed in the Senate later that month.
The lawmakers noted that last year, organized groups of criminals took over the overwhelmingly peaceful protests and committed acts of violence.
“They caused billions of dollars in property damage and attacked law enforcement officers and innocent bystanders in cities across the country. These riots often caused the most harm to the marginalized communities the criminals claimed to represent,” Rep. Mace said. “Antifa bands represent the same threat to our nation posed by other terrorist groups.”
Rep. Joyce noted that violence is unacceptable regardless of the political affiliation of who commits it.
“Destruction of property is unacceptable no matter if it’s a small business, a place of worship, or the United States Capitol,” Rep. Joyce said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bill and urge the Speaker to allow the House to vote on it. By understanding Antifa’s involvement in last year’s nationwide riots, we can help preserve the First Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans and restore our nation’s rule of law,” he added.