Bob Unruh gushed over President Trump in a Sept. 18 WorldNetDaily article:
President Donald Trump has issued a statement that he is designating Antifa, the coalition of leftists and left-oriented organizations that have done billions of dollars in damage to America through riots, protests, arson and murder in recent years, as a “MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”
“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he announced.
The problem here is that Antifa is not an organization at all. Unruh tried to explain that away:
Online resources describe Antifa as a decentralized political movement.
While its supporters explain it is loosely structured and led by local activists, the movement has had massive amounts of cash with which to work, funding that definitely comes from major players.
Unruh refused to explain who these supposedly “major players” are. You’d think he’d be able to since they’re, you know, major. Nevertheless, he continued:
The move comes only a week after Charlie Kirk, a titan of the conservative movement often targeted by Antifa and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated by an alleged left-winger radicalized by transgender ideologies.
Tyler Robinson, the suspect, is accused of engraving bullet casings with slogans like, “Hey fascist! Catch!” and more.
As we’ve documented, the supposedly engraved slogans were taken from video games, not inspired by Antifa.
When that designation came to pass, a Sept. 23 article by Bob Unruh framed it as Trump keeping a promise:
President Donald Trump has delivered on his promise to designate Antifa, the leftist organization that has orchestrated dozens, maybe hundreds, of riots in opposition to MAGA in recent years, as a domestic terror organization.
“Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law,” he said in his signed order on Monday.
“It uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide to accomplish these goals. This campaign involves coordinated efforts to obstruct enforcement of Federal laws through armed standoffs with law enforcement, organized riots, violent assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement officers, and routine doxing of and other threats against political figures and activists.
Unruh repeated the Charlie Kirk falsehood:
Trump had announced his plan shortly after Charlie Kirk, a titan of the conservative movement often targeted by Antifa and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated by an alleged left-winger radicalized by transgender ideologies.
Tyler Robinson, the suspect, is accused of engraving bullet casings with slogans like, “Hey fascist! Catch!” and more.
Still, Unruh continued:
And in Georgia, more than 60 individuals were accused in 2023 of domestic terrorism and material support charges “over Antifa and eco-terrorist violence,” according to a report in the Federalist.
At the time it apparently was, the report said, the “first known Antifa case where law enforcement successfully ‘followed the money,’ raiding the Atlanta Solidarity Fund and its fiscal sponsor, The Network for Strong Communities, over charity fraud allegations for their alleged role in backing violent protests.”
In fact, two weeks before Unruh wrote this story, a judge dropped the RICO racketeering indictments against all the defendants — something Unruh could have disclosed but refused to.
Kovacs returned with an Oct. 19 article uncritically quoting Trump’s bragging that he has the power to stop Antifa by using the Insurrection Act:
As resistance continues to President Donald Trump’s effort to make American cities safe, the commander in chief is reminding both Antifa and Democrat governors that he has a powerful tool at his disposal, and he’s not afraid to use it.
This was the only reference to Antifa in the entire article. This was followed by an anonymously written Oct. 21 article declaring:
Attorney General Pam Bondi Tuesday announced the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the anti-Turning Point USA violent protest that occurred Monday at UC Berkeley.
[…]Bondi posted to X:
“Antifa is an existential threat to our nation.
Neither Bondi nor the anonymous WND writer offered proof that Antifa was involved in the Berkeley protests.
It was Unruh’s turn to gush over Trump in a Nov. 13 article:
President Donald Trump has included in his Oval Office goals to fight the terror-like antics of Antifa.
That’s a loose organization of leftists and extremists who have rioted across the United States in opposition to his enforcement of American law.
His actions already included designating the schemes and the schemers as domestic terrorists.
[…]Trump’s order at the time instructed the federal government to “investigate, disrupt, and dismantle all illegal operations conducted by Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa.”
He also targeted the “funding” schemes.”
LIke Kovacs, Unruh failed to name any of those purported schemes. Instead, he cheered that the Trump administration targeted Antifa-linked groups based in Europe were targeted. He didn’t explain how these “Antifa-aligned cells” could possibly be held acccountable under U.S. law, but he insisted that “The designation is significant as it now requires U.S. financial institutions to freeze assets of FTOs and SDGTs and ban entry of the group’s members into the U.S.” Unruh offered no example of any of this actually happening.