Justice Dept. to Take Aim at Antigovernment Extremists

WASHINGTON — Attorney General William P. Barr said on Friday that he had created a task force to investigate antigovernment extremists on the far right and left who have used the nationwide policing protests as cover to attack law enforcement officers and destroy property, according to a Justice Department memo.

Mr. Barr said that violent extremists have undermined public order and sought to “become a law unto themselves” through violence, and that some may be supported by “foreign entities seeking to sow chaos and disorder.” He did not cite evidence.

“Amid peaceful demonstrations protected by the First Amendment, we have seen antigovernment extremists engaged in indefensible acts of violence,” Mr. Barr said, noting attacks on police officers and other government officials, destruction of public and private property and threats to bystanders.

“The ultimate goal of the task force will be not only to enable prosecutions of extremists who engage in violence, but to understand these groups well enough that we can stop such violence before it occurs and ultimately eliminate it as a threat to public safety,” Mr. Barr said.