DOJ official pushes prosecutors to probe Soros group for potential 'pro-terror' funding

A senior Department of Justice official reportedly instructed half a dozen top federal prosecutors to probe a George Soros-founded liberal philanthropic arm for potentially funding pro-terror groups, The New York Times reported. The directive, said to have originated in the office of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, was sent on Monday to U.S. attorneys’ offices in New York, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Chicago and California. It asked prosecutors to consider whether entities linked to the Open Society Foundations could face charges including arson, wire fraud, racketeering or material support for terrorism.

According to The Times, the directive drew on a Capital Research Center report that alleged the Open Society Foundations network donated about $80 million to groups described as tied to terrorism or extremist violence, including the Center for Third World Organizing, the Ruckus Society, the Sunrise Movement and the Movement for Black Lives. The report also noted that millions of dollars flowed to non-governmental organizations abroad, including Al-Haq, a West Bank–based group that the State Department had sanctioned earlier this month.

DOJ spokesman Chad Gilmartin did not confirm or deny the directive’s existence, but said that department officials and the U.S. attorney’s offices “will always prioritize public safety and investigate organizations that conspire to commit acts of violence or other federal violations of law.”

The Open Society Foundations responded by saying it condemns terrorism and does not fund terrorism. A spokesperson said the group’s activities are peaceful and lawful, that grantees are expected to abide by human rights principles and comply with the law, and that the accusations are politically motivated attacks on civil society meant to silence speech.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, the Missouri Republican who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, told The Post he was glad the DOJ is investigating these shadow networks for potential criminal misconduct. “For too long, left wing dark money groups like the Open Society Foundation have been funding left wing anarchy and violence across the country,” he said.

According to the Capital Research Center document, Open Society awarded $18 million to the Movement for Black Lives, and the report asserted that some groups trained activists in property destruction and sabotage during the 2020 riots. It also claimed that the Sunrise Movement endorsed the Antifa–linked Stop Cop City campaign, and that the foundation supported groups that the report linked to broader demonstrations and violence. The report’s phrasing has drawn scrutiny from supporters and critics of Open Society alike.

The move comes as President Trump and other GOP officials have repeatedly targeted left-leaning NGO networks. President Trump suggested in a Truth Social post that George Soros and his son Alex, who has assumed a larger role at Open Society in recent years, should face racketeering charges for allegedly funding the “radical left” and supporting violent protests. In a separate retort, Schmitt signaled plans for a broader inquiry into groups that promote political violence in the domestic arena.

Vice President JD Vance and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller have described an organized strategy to go after left-wing organizations that promote violence, Miller said on The Charlie Kirk Show after the assassination at Utah Valley University earlier this month. They emphasized pursuing what they described as organized campaigns that incite or facilitate violence, including NGO networks, and they named Soros’s Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation in their remarks. The episode drew bipartisan attention to how lawmakers frame civil society groups in the current political climate.

Separately, Vice President Vance and several White House aides argued for a coordinated approach to monitor and, if warranted, prosecute groups perceived to promote violence through protests and other actions. The discussions occurred as some Republican lawmakers pressed a broader inquiry into left-leaning groups accused of fostering unrest. Reps for the Center for Third World Organizing, the Sunrise Movement and the Movement for Black Lives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Open Society Foundations spent more than $1.2 billion last year promoting justice, equity, human rights, and democratic practice as part of its extensive grantmaking network. The foundation cited its mission and the peaceful, lawful nature of its activities, while noting that donors and grantees are expected to comply with applicable laws and human rights principles. The organization also asserted that attempts to tie it to violence are politically motivated and designed to chill free expression and civil society work.

The department’s approach to the inquiry remains under scrutiny. DOJ officials and U.S. attorneys’ offices often coordinate on high-profile investigations, but the exact scope and potential charges arising from this directive are not yet known. Analysts noted that bringing arson, wire fraud, racketeering or material support for terrorism charges against philanthropic networks would require careful legal standards and concrete evidence of intent and causation. The Times reported that the directive asked prosecutors to assess the viability of such charges, rather than to pursue immediate prosecutions.