Victoria Taft writes at PJMedia.com about the federal government’s iniital response to violence at recent protests nationwide. Washington is taking steps beyond charges lodged by local law enforcement.

The Department of Justice has filed what looks to be the first tranche of charges against violent antifa protesters from coast to coast following weeks of rioting in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police. As antifa itself would say, “It’s going down.”

More than 50 people have been indicted on various charges in La Mesa, Calif., Minneapolis, Austin, Dallas, Baton Rouge, Philly, St. Paul, and Tacoma.

Conspicuously absent in this wave of indictments is anyone from Portland, Ore., arguably the area most seeded with members of the group designated as domestic terrorists by the Trump administration. Rioters there attacked the Justice Center. They were back Saturday night to finish the job.

No one from Seattle’s black bloc-outfitted terrorists or the Republic of CHAZ was named in these indictments, either.

Americans saw the police station in Minneapolis burn with impunity on live TV, rioters leaving behind a steaming mass of wreckage that resembled parts of London after the Luftwaffe got done with it.

People were beaten, police cars were torched.

Law-abiding Americans might be buoyed that there will be a price to pay for this latest reign of terror. People who were terrified at the antifa antics will be happy to hear of the charges against these terrorists.

Attorney General Bill Barr and U.S. attorneys across the nation charged suspects for more than 40 violent crimes, which CBS News reporter Catherine Herridge put out on Twitter.

Among the crimes being pursued are:

  • Crossing state lines for purposes of riot
  • Throwing Molotov cocktails
  • Torching cop cars
  • Looting gun stores and pharmacies
  • Online threats against cops
  • Arson
  • Shining lasers in eyes of police helicopter pilots
  • Bringing guns to a riot