Trump admin insiders fear Rubio's antifa hunt will boomerang on them: report

State Secretary Marco Rubio's push to treat antifa as an international terrorism threat is scaring multiple Trump administration officials who fear it could one day be turned against conservatives , the Washington Post reported Thursday. Justice Department and White House Counsel's Office officials are reportedly uneasy about Rubio inviting senior ministers from more than 60 countries to a July 16 State Department meeting on what the administration describes as a global surge in far-left terrorism. According to the Post, some have decided not to attend. They're concerned about a possible boomerang effect, with one administration official warning the effort could set "a precedent for a future Gavin Newsom administration to turn these authorities on conservatives," a nod to the California governor widely seen as a top 2028 contender, the Post reported. Counterterrorism czar Sebastian Gorka has discussed using foreign terrorism labels for antifa to justify investigating Americans tied to the movement, a step the Post noted could unlock surveillance and other tools. Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has also backed the foreign designation, arguing the movement has significant ties abroad. A White House official disputed the framing, saying it does not reflect the prevailing view inside the building and accusing Democrats of weaponizing national security powers against conservatives. Trump branded antifa a domestic terrorist organization after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and prosecutors have since pursued a Texas case built around an alleged antifa cell that ended in sentences reaching 100 years . Federal prosecutors later indicted 15 activists in Minneapolis , part of what critics call a widening playbook for jailing the administration's opponents . Experts have said a group must be foreign to earn a foreign terrorism designation, making antifa's domestic footprint a stretch.