The Department of Justice is directing top federal prosecutors to investigate George Soros’ Open Society Foundations over its ties to left-wing violence, according to reports.
Multiple U.S. attorneys received a directive Monday to probe the organization’s alleged support for domestic terrorism, as well as its involvement in arson, wire fraud and racketeering, ABC News reported.
The Open Society Foundations (OSF), now run with his son Alexander Soros, has poured over $80 million into groups tied to terrorism or extremist violence since 2016, according to the Capital Research Center.
Aakash Singh, a senior official in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office, reportedly sent the directive to seven U.S. attorney’s offices, including those in California, New York, Illinois, Michigan and Maryland.
“This DOJ, along with our hard-working and dedicated U.S. Attorneys, will always prioritize public safety and investigate organizations that conspire to commit acts of violence or other federal violations of law,” a spokesperson for the Justice Department told ABC News.
A spokesperson for Open Society Foundations, in a statement to ABC News, said, “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.”
“These accusations are politically motivated attacks on civil society, meant to silence speech the administration disagrees with and undermine the First Amendment right to free speech. When power is abused to take away the rights of some people, it puts the rights of all people at risk,” the statement said.
According to the Capital Research Center, there is abundant evidence that OSF has “sent millions of dollars into U.S.-based organizations that engage in ‘direct actions’ that the FBI defines as domestic terrorism.”
These groups include the Center for Third World Organizing and its militant partner Ruckus Society, which trained activists in property destruction and sabotage during the 2020 riots, and the Sunrise Movement, which endorsed the Antifa-linked Stop Cop City campaign, in which activists currently face over 40 domestic terrorism charges and 60 racketeering indictments. At the same time, Open Society awarded $18 million to the Movement for Black Lives, a group that co-authored a radical guide that glorifies Hamas’s October 7 massacre and instructs activists in the use of false IDs, blockades, and economic disruption.
The DOJ’s directive comes after the House Committee on Oversight and Government reform launched an investigation into OSF over the group’s alleged efforts in 2016 to sabotage President Trump’s campaign and presidency.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) in August formally requested George Soros and OSF official Leonard Bernardo to appear before the Oversight Committee for questioning after documents released by the FBI indicated OSF was directly involved in the Russia Hoax on behalf of Hillary Clinton.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, President Donald Trump and senior White House officials have ramped up demands that the Justice Department and FBI more aggressively pursue groups on the left that organize riots and fuel political violence around the country.
Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum on Thursday directing federal agencies including the FBI, DOJ, DHS, and Treasury to investigate and disrupt funding for left-wing groups like Antifa, which he recently designated a domestic terrorist organization.
“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie [Kirk] to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” the president said. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now. My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country.”