Justice Department Memo Expands “Domestic Terrorism” Definition to Include “Radical Gender Ideology,” Establishes Cash Rewards

A leaked Justice Department memorandum has revealed a significant expansion of the federal government’s definition of “domestic terrorism,” instructing law enforcement to target organizations promoting “radical gender ideology” and establishing a cash reward system for information leading to the arrest of their leaders.

The memo, issued by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on December 4, provides the first concrete enforcement mechanisms for President Donald Trump’s September directive, NSPM-7, which ordered a broad investigation into “domestic terrorist” organizations. The document was leaked on December 8, with its contents first reported by LGBTQ Nation, which highlighted the inclusion of “radical gender ideology” as a key criterion for investigation.

Under the new guidelines, the definition of potential domestic terrorist ideologies has been widened to include a range of political and social views. Beyond “radical gender ideology”—a term the Trump administration has frequently used as a broad pejorative for issues related to transgender and nonbinary communities—the memo also lists “extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders,” “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, or anti-Christianity,” and “hostility towards traditional views on family, religion, and morality.”

To pursue these newly defined threats, the memo encourages federal prosecutors to “be particularly mindful of the potential applicability” of several powerful federal statutes. These include charges for “picketing or parading with intent to obstruct the administration of justice” and “obstruction during civil disorders,” effectively criminalizing certain forms of protest.

Most notably, the document points to the statute against “providing material support for terrorist activity.” This law has been a source of significant controversy and has been widely criticized by civil liberties advocates for its potential to infringe upon free speech. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the definition of “material support” is exceedingly vague, encompassing any “service,” “training,” “expert advice or assistance,” or “personnel.” Since the passage of the Patriot Act in 2001, this broad interpretation has been used to justify surveillance and hinder the work of humanitarian groups.

In October, Hina Shamsi, the director of the ACLU’s national security project, commented on the worrying implications of the foundational NSPM-7 directive. “If anyone needed proof that ‘terrorism’ and ‘political violence’ are slippery and fraught categories subject to political, ideological, and racial manipulation and bias — well, this is it,” Shamsi wrote on the ACLU’s website.

The Bondi memo outlines several specific actions for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It directs federal law enforcement agencies to “review their files and holdings for Antifa and Antifa-related intelligence” and deliver these materials to the FBI within 14 days of the memo’s issuance. Within 30 days, the FBI is tasked with compiling “a list of groups of entities engaged in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism.”

Furthermore, the FBI is ordered to “disseminate an intelligence bulletin on Antifa and Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremist groups,” which will include details on their “structures, funding sources, and tactics.” To aid in these efforts, the memo directs the FBI to increase publicity for its domestic terrorism tip line and, crucially, to “establish a cash reward system for information that leads to the successful identification and arrest of individuals in the leadership of domestic terrorist organizations.”

The language and focus of the memo echo claims from a September report by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein. Citing two anonymous national security experts, the report alleged the FBI was considering categorizing transgender people under a new threat category called “Nihilistic Violent Extremists” (NVE). The FBI defines NVE as those engaged in “criminal conduct… in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos.”

Critics note this new directive also aligns with ongoing right-wing efforts to scapegoat transgender people for mass shootings and other forms of gun violence, a narrative that has reportedly included references to events such as the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

A final point of contention is what the federal government’s new focus on “domestic terrorism” omits. The memo’s emphasis on left-leaning and social justice-oriented ideologies stands in stark contrast to a vast body of research indicating that the majority of domestic terrorist attacks and plots in the United States are carried out by individuals and groups aligned with right-wing ideologies.