COC Bureau'They're Terrorists in Matching Vests': The Civic Order Coalition Launches a National Campaign Against the REA
A coalition of police unions, prosecutors, and conservative lawmakers unveils a $2M ad buy calling the REA 'the most dangerous domestic threat since Antifa.'
National security correspondent. Former defense beat at Politico. Covers federal law enforcement and intelligence community responses.
The Civic Order Coalition held its launch press conference at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Pool photo / The Dead Drop
A new coalition of police unions, district attorneys, and conservative lawmakers calling itself the Civic Order Coalition held a press conference in Washington today, announcing a national campaign to classify the Rights Enforcement Agency as a domestic terrorist organization and to pass federal legislation criminalizing "paramilitary intimidation of public servants."
The group, which has registered as a 501(c)(4) under the name "Civic Order Coalition" (COC), announced a $2 million ad buy across cable news and digital platforms. Its founding members include the National Fraternal Order of Police, the National District Attorneys Association, and nine sitting members of Congress — all Republican.
"Let's call this what it is," said Rep. David Lamont (R-TX), who appears to be the coalition's congressional leader. "A masked, uniformed paramilitary group is showing up at protests, delivering threats to people's homes, and publishing stolen government documents. In any other context, we would call this terrorism. The fact that they've wrapped it in the language of civil rights doesn't change what it is."
The press conference was notable for its tone, which oscillated between genuine alarm and what critics might call political calculation. Several speakers invoked the families of law enforcement officers. A video montage showed the Portland shield action footage set to ominous music, intercut with images of historical domestic terrorism incidents.
But the coalition's message wasn't monolithic. Former federal prosecutor and current COC legal advisor Katherine Hale struck a more measured tone: "We're not saying citizens don't have the right to protest or even to monitor law enforcement. We're saying there's a line between civic engagement and organized intimidation. The REA isn't holding signs. They're wearing uniforms designed to project authority they don't have."
The COC's legislative proposal, dubbed the "Public Safety Protection Act," would make it a federal crime to "wear insignia, uniforms, or identifying markers designed to project the authority of a law enforcement agency during the commission of, or in preparation for, acts of intimidation against public servants." The penalty: up to 10 years.
Civil liberties groups reacted swiftly. The ACLU issued a statement calling the proposal "a transparent attempt to criminalize protected speech and assembly" and noting that "wearing a vest with letters on it is not a crime, and the First Amendment does not contain an exception for clothing that makes powerful people uncomfortable."
The Dead Drop reached out to the COC for comment on whether their proposal would also cover private security companies that use similar tactical branding. A spokesperson responded: "This is about paramilitary organizations masquerading as government agencies. Let's not muddy the water."
The REA has not commented. @signal_received has been silent since the announcement.
What is clear is that the REA now has an organized, well-funded opposition — and the political battle lines are being drawn.
