DOJ official pushes prosecutors to investigate George Soros’s Open Society foundation
This is, without any exaggeration, exactly how Putin and Orbán proceeded — using antisemitism to discredit the idea of civil society and political opposition, and as an excuse to undo the rule of law.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/u…— Timothy Snyder (@timothysnyder.bsky.social) Sep 25, 2025 at 11:14 AM
A senior Justice Department official has instructed more than a half dozen U.S. attorney’s offices to draft plans to investigate a group funded by George Soros, the billionaire Democratic donor whom President Trump has demanded be thrown in jail.
The official’s directive, a copy of which was viewed by The New York Times, goes as far as to list possible charges prosecutors could file, ranging from arson to material support of terrorism. The memo suggests department leaders are following orders from the president that specific people or groups be subject to criminal investigation — a major break from decades of past practice meant to insulate the Justice Department from political interference.
The step is the latest instance of the Justice Department moving against Mr. Trump’s perceived enemies.
Over the weekend, the president urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to act quickly in seeking criminal charges against his longtime nemesis, the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey, and the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who has sued Mr. Trump and his businesses for hundreds of millions of dollars. Separate investigations into them are being conducted by federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia, and grand juries may soon be asked to vote on proposed indictments in those cases.
In recent days, Mr. Trump has revisited his grievances against Mr. Soros, long a boogeyman for the right, in part because he has backed progressive causes. After the killing of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Utah this month, the president threatened to use the levers of government to silence liberal protesters and donors to progressive groups, including Mr. Soros.
Mr. Soros began his global grant network, now known as the Open Society Foundations, decades ago to fund democratic initiatives around the world, particularly in communist and formerly communist countries. In the 1990s, the organization expanded its work to the United States. It provides grants to groups that work for human rights, democracy and equity, but Mr. Trump and some Republicans contend, without providing evidence, that it is a shadowy network promoting civil unrest, violent protests and property destruction. Liberals say the assertions are falsehoods aimed at stifling dissent.
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.
At the time, the Open Society Foundations criticized that move by the Israeli government, saying it was not based on credible evidence and was intended to discredit and silence Palestinian human rights groups.
Asked about the nascent effort to investigate Mr. Soros’s foundation at a White House event on Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi replied, “Everything is on the table right now,” while declining to comment further. Mr. Trump said Mr. Soros would be “a likely candidate” to be investigated. [Continue reading…]
In a statement, the Open Society Foundations described the effort as “meant to silence speech the administration disagrees with and undermine the first amendment right to free speech”.
“The Open Society Foundations unequivocally condemn terrorism and do not fund terrorism. Our activities are peaceful and lawful, and our grantees are expected to abide by human rights principles and comply with the law,” it said in a statement.
“When power is abused to take away the rights of some people, it puts the rights of all people at risk. Our work in the United States is solely dedicated to strengthening democracy and upholding constitutional freedoms. We stand by the work we do to improve lives in the United States and across the world.” [Continue reading…]