During a tense Senate Committee hearing on Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel made headlines, but one key moment seemingly went unnoticed.
Patel publicly endorsed the Stop FUNDERs Act, legislation created by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and other Republican senators, aimed at cutting funding for violent riots across America.
The Senate hearing came just days after the assassination of Turning Point co-founder Charlie Kirk.
Cruz asked Patel if the Stop Financial Underwriting of Nefarious Demonstrations and Extremist Riots (Stop FUNDERs) Act had been passed. The act, which adds rioting to the list of RICO offenses, would help the FBI prosecute those financing and organizing violent mobs or movements.
Patel’s response was clear: “Yes.”
“Every American has the right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest, but not to commit violence. Domestic NGOs and foreign adversaries fund and use riots in the United States to undermine the security and prosperity of Americans. My legislation will give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to hold them accountable, and I urge colleagues to pass it expeditiously.” Cruz said in a statement announcing the act.
Additionally, Cruz suggested that while extremist speech is constitutionally protected, violent crimes are not. He then called on the Trump administration to officially designate Antifa as a terrorist organization, citing their long violent history.
Patel would go on to assure Cruz that the FBI is actively investigating funding sources for these violent acts and radical riots.
The Stop FUNDERs Act, co-sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), would allow the Department of Justice to use RICO investigation tools, including applying conspiracy charges and other enhanced criminal consequences, against organizations that fund and organize violent riots across America.
Heritage Action and the National Right to Work Committee have both praised the legislation, saying that it could provide law enforcement with the tools needed to tackle politically motivated violence and those responsible for organizing that violence.
What Other Senators Are Saying
“Radical, left-wing groups who fund acts of violence, coordinate attacks against law enforcement, and spearhead the destruction of property must be stopped. This legislation would add rioting to the list of racketeering offenses to crack down on this lawless behavior while ensuring the First Amendment rights of free speech and peaceful protest are protected,” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said.
“From anti-Semitic riots to violent anti-ICE attacks, those who fund and coordinate violent riots across our country must be held accountable. The Stop FUNDERs Act will give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to bring those facilitating and financing violence on our campuses and in our streets to account,” U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) added.