You Are A Domestic Terrorist Now | Ken Klippenstein TMR
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM7) redefined domestic terrorism to include 'anti-Christian,' 'anti-American,' 'anti-capitalist,' and 'anti-traditional family values' sentiments.
- ❖Presidential Memoranda are serious, high-level directives that reorganize the federal government's priorities, not mere rhetoric.
- ❖The Trump administration's appointments have created a highly compliant national security state, eroding institutional 'guardrails.'
- ❖ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) wing acts as an internal FBI, with a larger police force than the actual FBI within DHS.
- ❖ICE operations are being used for intelligence collection on immigrants, framing them as 'cannon fodder' for a broader 'war on cartels' in Latin America.
- ❖The legal justification for military action against cartels is based on the 'body count' from drug deaths, equating it to an act of war.
- ❖There is internal dissent within federal agencies regarding the aggressive tactics and the negative impact on public trust.
- ❖Congress, particularly Democratic leadership, has refused to use its 'power of the purse' to constrain executive overreach, effectively giving the White House a green light.
- ❖The lack of policy for dealing with protesters and civil unrest within ICE's use-of-force guidelines contributes to aggressive and often violent responses.
Insights
1NSPM7 Redefines Domestic Terrorism Broadly
National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM7) defines indicators of terrorism to include 'anti-Christian sentiment,' 'anti-American sentiment,' 'anti-capitalist sentiment,' and 'anti-traditional family values.' This significantly expands the scope of what can be considered domestic terrorism.
Klippenstein states the document is public on his newsletter and quotes these specific indicators directly from it. He emphasizes it's not editorializing but direct quotes.
2Presidential Memoranda are High-Level Directives
A Presidential Memorandum, like NSPM7, is a very serious directive that reorganizes the national security state and sets priorities for the entire federal government for the next four years. It is not mere rhetoric.
Klippenstein explains that 'NSPM7 stands for national security presidential memorandum 7. Presidential memorandum is very serious. There's only seven of them. That's what the seven refers to. Six is classified.' He cites Carter's 1970s memorandum on nuclear posture as an example of its significance.
3ICE's Expanded Role Beyond Deportations
ICE operations are not solely about deportations but are a central component of intelligence collection for a broader 'war on cartels' in Latin America. Immigrants are interrogated, with citizenship dangled as leverage for information on these groups.
A military intelligence source told Klippenstein that Trump frames immigration as an 'invasion' by 'narco traffickers and cartels' he wants to go to war with. Documents Klippenstein published 'reveal intelligence collection from the immigrants that ISIS is targeting is a central component... of the war that's taking place.'
4DHS as a 'National Security Colossus'
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including ICE, has grown into a massive national security entity. Its badge-carrying officers, including those in Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), outnumber the FBI, operating with broad powers that elevate immigration to a national security threat.
Klippenstein states, 'Homeland Security is younger than I am. It was created in like 2003... what was once a like a question of criminal or civil law under the Justice Department became elevated to a national security question.' He adds, 'the Department of Homeland Security's... gun carrying officers actually outnumber the FBI.'
5Congressional Inaction Enables Executive Overreach
Congress, particularly the Democratic leadership, has refused to use its constitutional 'power of the purse' to constrain the executive branch's aggressive actions, effectively giving the administration free rein.
Klippenstein quotes Chuck Schumer stating, 'we are not willing to use the budget to to um coers uh Trump and the executive branch into behaving differently on this.' Klippenstein notes this is 'the only leverage point you have.'
Bottom Line
The 'war on cartels' in Latin America is legally justified by a classified Office of Legal Counsel memo that equates the 'body count' from drug deaths in the US to an act of war, allowing for special operations and military action.
This legal framing bypasses traditional declarations of war and expands the executive's power to conduct military-style operations in other countries under the guise of domestic security, potentially leading to interventions and destabilization.
Investigate the contents and legal reasoning of this classified OLC memo to understand the full extent of its implications and challenge its legal basis, as it sets a dangerous precedent for defining domestic social problems as acts of war.
ICE and DHS are actively seeking 'new blood' for their agencies that is 'ideologically aligned' with aggressive tactics, using 'crazy memes' and messaging that appeals to a specific cohort uncomfortable with existing rank-and-file discomfort.
This recruitment strategy indicates a deliberate effort to staff these agencies with individuals who will readily embrace and execute extreme policies, further entrenching an authoritarian mindset and making internal reform more difficult.
Monitor recruitment campaigns and internal communications of DHS/ICE for ideological screening indicators. Support whistleblowers or internal groups within these agencies who are uncomfortable with the direction of these policies.
Lessons
- Demand transparency from Congress regarding classified policies and programs within DHS and ICE, particularly the full, unredacted use-of-force policies.
- Advocate for specific legislative reforms to federal law enforcement, such as mandatory body cameras for all agents, stricter use-of-force guidelines (especially concerning vehicles and protesters), and clear policies on civil unrest.
- Pressure congressional representatives to use their 'power of the purse' to target specific programs or create negotiation structures to constrain executive overreach in national security and immigration enforcement.
The Executive Branch's Playbook for Expanding Power
Issue high-level, often classified, presidential memoranda (e.g., NSPM7) to redefine threats (e.g., terrorism) and reorganize the national security state's priorities.
Appoint politically compliant leaders to key agencies (e.g., Attorney General, DHS Secretary) to ensure directives are implemented without institutional resistance.
Utilize broad, emotionally charged narratives (e.g., 'invasion,' 'war on cartels') and public sentiment (e.g., opioid crisis) to create social justification for aggressive actions.
Expand the operational scope and budget of federal agencies (e.g., ICE's HSI) beyond their traditional roles, transforming them into internal security forces with expanded intelligence and enforcement capabilities.
Exploit congressional inaction and the reluctance of opposition parties to use their constitutional leverage (e.g., budgetary power) to avoid accountability and further entrench expanded powers.
Notable Moments
The hosts and Klippenstein discuss the case of Renee Good, who was killed by an ICE agent, and how her partner was subsequently investigated for 'anti-traditional family values' under the broad definitions of NSPM7.
This case serves as a concrete example of how the broad definitions of terrorism in NSPM7 are being applied to real-world situations, demonstrating the direct impact on individuals and the potential for targeting based on lifestyle or political views.
Klippenstein recounts an anti-ICE protester in Arizona being visited by two FBI agents who asked about the 'funding of this operation,' illustrating the belief within federal agencies that spontaneous protests are centrally organized and funded by shadowy cabals.
This anecdote highlights the psychological environment within federal law enforcement, where dissent is viewed as an organized threat, leading to investigations that target the very nature of grassroots activism.
Quotes
"It defines terrorism along uh what are called indicators or indicators that uh the document which is you can go on my newsletter and read it. It's right there. I'm not making this up. I'm not editorializing here, although it's going to sound like I am. It identifies um indicators of terrorism as being anti-Christian sentiment, anti-American sentiment, anti-capitalist sentiment, anti- quote traditional family values, whatever that means."
"When people look at ICE, they think of the um, what's called enforcement removal operations, the guys that literally go and grab someone and arrest them. But that's actually a minority of what ICE is... They have another wing called Homeland Security Investigations and those guys... they're basically an internal FBI within Homeland Security that um operates under ICE."
"Trump and the administration have made it very clear that they want the governments of Latin America to be pro-US... I think a really important part of this is the way in which they have used the narco trafficker designations to basically make the case legally... that uh the drug flow into the US because of the body count... represents the body count of like an actual war and this is this constitutes a war."
"He said very explicitly we are not willing to use the budget to to um coers uh Trump and the executive branch into behaving differently on this. Well that's the main point of Congress the power of the purse. If you're not willing to use the only leverage point you have."
Q&A
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