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FBI Director Kash Patel said Wednesday that investigators have uncovered what he described as significant funding sources connected to antifa-linked activity.
Patel made the remarks during an appearance on “The Dan Bongino Show,” saying the bureau under President Donald Trump has launched a financial investigation into how demonstrations associated with the loosely organized far-left movement are supported.
“These organizations don’t operate alone or in silence,” Patel said. “They operate with a heavy, heavy stream of funding.
And we started looking into it, and guess what? We found them.”
Patel did not name specific donors, groups or financial channels, but said additional information could be made public in the coming months as the inquiry continues.
He said investigators are reviewing whether funding moved through U.S.-based nonprofit organizations, including some with tax-exempt status, as well as examining the possibility of foreign sources. Patel emphasized that the investigation targets financial backing for alleged violent acts, not constitutionally protected protest activity.
“Money doesn’t lie,” Patel said, describing the effort as a strategy of “following the money” to identify potential supporters of unlawful conduct.
Patel pointed to previous prosecutions that he said were tied to antifa-related violence, including arrests and convictions connected to protest incidents in multiple states. He referenced an ongoing federal case in Texas involving nine defendants accused of ambushing and attempting to murder ICE personnel on July 4, 2025. He also cited a 2023 case in Georgia related to protests over the proposed Atlanta public safety training facility known as Cop City.
The FBI director said the bureau has elevated the matter internally by establishing a dedicated program to identify financial backers of protest-related violence.
Participants and many analysts have described antifa as a decentralized movement rather than a formal organization, a characterization that has historically complicated efforts to bring conspiracy-style cases. Patel, however, pointed to what he described as organizational structures, including conferences and a national network of local chapters.
In September 2025, President Trump signed an executive order designating antifa a domestic terror organization after previously raising the idea during his first term.