A senior Justice Department official has formally urged more than a half dozen U.S. attorney’s offices to draft plans for a federal investigation into the Open Society Foundations, the philanthropic network funded by billionaire George Soros, citing concerns over potential legal violations.
The document — first circulated internally and reviewed by The New York Times — lists possible charges including and up to material support of terrorism. Soros has long been viewed as one of President Trump’s most prominent adversaries, and Trump vowed to crack down on liberal movements allegedly tied to extremism following the assassination of Charlie Kirk:
On Monday, a lawyer in the office of the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, issued the directive to U.S. attorney’s offices in California, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Detroit and Maryland, among others.
The lawyer, Aakash Singh, who is responsible for communicating with federal prosecutors around the country, suggested a wide range of charges for prosecutors to consider against the Open Society Foundations. Possible charges included racketeering, arson, wire fraud and material support for terrorism, according to a copy of the directive.
As evidence for such investigations, Mr. Singh pointed to a recent report by a conservative watchdog group known as the Capital Research Center, which monitors liberal money in politics. He asked the prosecutors to determine if the allegations were enough to justify opening criminal cases, adding that they should be prepared to submit their investigative plans soon.
The report broached a contentious claim, stating that the group “has poured over $80 million into groups tied to terrorism or extremist violence.” It cited as one example al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights group critical of Israel. The report noted that the Israeli government declared in 2022 that al-Haq was a front for terrorist activity.
Critics have already sharply attacked the request, arguing it is politically motivated and could chill dissent as well as the philanthropic work of progressive groups.
It remains to be seen whether a full investigation will proceed.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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From Erika Kirk: The torch Charlie lit still burns — now it’s in our hands. [STAND WITH US TODAY]
YES! He needs to be stopped from buying elections!!!
If he wants to change policies, he can go to HIS country & run for office!
He has no business with ANY of our elections!!!