Specifically, this warning came from the same former DHS undersecretary that has become Adam Schiff’s most recent whistleblower. Brian Murphy served as acting head of DHS’s intelligence unit, which found out the patently obvious. The riots in Portland used the same tactics, techniques, and procedures as rioters elsewhere, which passes the duck test for organized action. CBS News nat-sec reporter Catherine Herridge provided a redacted version of Murphy’s July 25th report (via Twitchy):

#Whistleblower #PortlandProtest Breaking: According to this @DHSgov internal email, obtained @CBSNews, former Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis Brian Murphy wrote colleagues on July 25th that the Portland violence was not “opportunistic” but “organized” citing pic.twitter.com/K7Aoe0yFbB

— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) September 14, 2020

are organized and show up night after night, and share common TTPs (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures)..”

"Threat actors who are motivated by Anarchists or ANTIFA (or a combination of both) ideologies to carry out acts of violence against State, Local and Federal authorities..”

— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) September 14, 2020

This might end up being uncomfortable in multiple directions. Certainly the Trump administration will want to emphasize Murphy’s analysis while making the point that radical progressives are out of control, and that their support for law and order is all the more necessary. At the same time, Schiff wants Murphy to testify about DHS intel on election-security issues, which Murphy accuses DHS of cooking to suit Trump’s political purposes. Clearly Schiff will need to enhance Murphy’s credibility on that matter, but Trump will want to enhance Murphy’s credibility on Antifa.

Or maybe Murphy will matter less to Trump as the obvious gets even more obvious. The Washington Post finally got around to reporting that the “far left” is organizing on social media, although gives readers a heapin’ helping of “boogaloo boys” at the same time:

Months of civil unrest have coincided with a significant rise in social media posts critical of police that sometimes are laced with violent themes, including calls to destroy property and attack officers, according to research released Monday morning.

The report, by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), which previously has studied right-wing violence from groups such as the “boogaloo boys,” warns that some left-wing groups have embraced similar social media tactics, including memes and humorous catchphrases, to spread their messages and possibly help coordinate offline activity. The researchers pointed to possible signs of such coordination associated with riots in Seattle, Portland and other cities on July 25, involving fires, looting and property damage.

The report acknowledges that left-wing political actors, including those who embrace the antifa movement, have been responsible for far less violence than white supremacists and other right-wing ones — a finding consistent with the conclusions of law enforcement and other threat analysts.

But the researchers found the growing use of memes a worrying sign and argue that the spread of dehumanizing rhetoric on the left could set the stage for more serious incidents by what the report called “network-enabled mobs.”

It drew particular attention to the growing use of slogans — many of them profane — such as “ACAB” for “All Cops Are Bastards,” that have spread extensively in online conversations while also increasingly appearing in graffiti on government buildings and statues that have been toppled by protesters.

This is again pointing out the obvious. These protests have been accompanied by obvious Antifa iconography from the very beginning, especially the ACAB signs and the circled A as well. In comparison, there have been little to no such graffiti indicating organized efforts on the far right, and the street control issues have all been related to Antifa and Black Lives Matter, as has the violence. The boogaloo boys are more boogeyman than real issue, especially in terms of organized action. The coverage on these riots, which are clearly driven by Antifa and BLM demonstrations, has bypassed whataboutism and gone all the way over to gaslighting.

At any rate, at least this will make the House Intelligence Committee debriefing of Murphy interesting for both Democrats and Republicans. Or perhaps more accurately, more of a political wash. That may well have been the purpose of this leak to Herridge, of course, but that doesn’t diminish its importance.