#AG Bill Barr vows DOJ crackdown on violence during George Floyd protests

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People loot a store in New York during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd.
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Days after Attorney General William Barr vowed to crack down on violence and illegal acts committed during protests against police brutality, the Justice Department has charged dozens of people with federal crimes, according to a report.

Among those charged was a man accused of brandishing a handgun before being tackled by a protester, and three right-wingers who allegedly planned to incite violence during peaceful protests, Politico reported.

The AG said in a press conference Thursday that extremists were capitalizing on the protests that followed the death of George Floyd in police custody, noting that 51 people have been arrested for federal crimes tied to violent behavior.

“There are some groups that don’t have a particular ideology other than anarchy, there are some groups that want to bring about a civil war,” Barr said.

“So we are dealing with, as I say, a witch’s brew of a lot of different extremist organizations,” he added.

Barr’s initiative, which follows President Trump’s pledge to “dominate” the unruly protesters, has raised questions among legal experts and some former Justice Department officials about whether the feds are charging people with offenses that would not normally be considered federal crimes.

Barr has condemned the band of far-left militants known as Antifa, calling the group domestic terrorists and committing to targeting them.

The AG also announced that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces would help coordinate federal, state and local responses to crimes committed during the anti-police demonstrations.

Former federal prosecutor Elie Honig told Politico that by bringing federal charges, the DOJ is “definitely sending a message and trying to create a deterrent effect.”

“Getting charged by DOJ is a much more serious proposition than getting charged by the state,” Honig added.