Oregon Live (November 19, 2018) reported that the FBI has designated the Proud Boys "an extremist group with ties to white nationalism". The group is "actively recruiting in the Pacific Northwest" and "[has] contributed to the recent escalation of violence at political rallies," including those in Portland, the FBI told Clark County authorities this summer. The FBI provided its assessment of the Proud Boys as part of an internal affairs investigation by the Clark County Sheriff's Office.
A copy of the Clark County Sheriff's Office report, with the FBI assessment (pp. 7) can be seen here.
This is the first time that an FBI evaluation of the group has become public.
Does the FBI (or other agencies in the Department of Justice) maintain a list of specific domestic extremist groups? No! While the FBI does designate some foreign organizations (such as ISIS) as extremists, for domestic groups the FBI identifies certain ideologies as extremist, not specific groups by name. That being said, the FBI has collaborated with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which does identify the Proud Boys as a hate group.
We note however that as Oregon Live reported, the Proud Boys are "actively recruiting in the Pacific Northwest" and may have gained supporters in the law enforcement and military communities.
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