Publisher: Talking Points Memo (Josh Kovensky)
Date Published: June 29, 2026
Relevant To: Protest safety / anti-repression resources
Verification Status: Verified
Notes: DOJ has created “Joint Task Force Vanguard,” launched March 2026 to implement NSPM-7, staffed by two prosecutors with organized-crime/terrorism backgrounds (Brian W. Lynch — RICO/gang prosecutor, Guantanamo JAG experience; Jason Kellhofer — counterterrorism prosecutor). They report to Acting AG Todd Blanche. Confirmed cases: Minneapolis anti-ICE “conspiracy to impede federal law enforcement” indictment citing 2.5 terabytes of Signal messages/surveillance footage (20+ terabytes total collected); federal charges against two Georgia Cop City protesters brought one week after their state RICO charges were dismissed. Lynch has a documented history as a conservative blogger for American Thinker (2014-2020), including pieces accusing media of a COVID-19 conspiracy against Trump. Legal expert Paul Butler (Georgetown Law): using mafia/gang tools like conspiracy statutes and racketeering charges “makes less sense for political protesters.” Directly extends the NSPM-7/Prairieland thread already extensively documented in this catalog — this is the institutional apparatus (task force, named prosecutors) implementing that policy.