Federal prosecutors across the country have now reportedly been instructed to prepare plans for investigating billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF), raising the possibility of sweeping criminal charges against one of the world’s most prominent liberal donors.
According to The New York Times, a Monday directive from a lawyer in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office listed potential charges that could include arson, racketeering, wire fraud and even material support for terrorism. The order was distributed to U.S. attorneys’ offices in California, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Detroit and Maryland.
The move comes as scrutiny intensifies over OSF’s financial network. Since 2016, the foundation has directed more than $80 million to organizations “tied to terrorism or extremist violence,” according to a report by the Capital Research Center (CRC).
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of the matter but defended the department’s mandate to pursue organizations that threaten public safety. “The Attorney General is committed to the safety of every American,” the spokesperson said. “If organizations threaten the safety of Americans and violate U.S. law, we will pursue every lawful avenue — investigations and prosecutions to hold them accountable. Terror has no place here.”
Leadership of the foundation shifted in December 2022, when Soros’ son, Alex Soros, assumed the role of chairman. The transition has not softened criticism of the group’s influence in U.S. politics, where Soros-funded committees have bankrolled progressive prosecutors who oversaw sharp crime increases in a number of large cities.
CRC’s report ties Soros funding directly to groups that trained activists “in property destruction and sabotage during the 2020 riots,” as well as to organizations that backed the “Stop Cop City” protests in Atlanta, which resulted in more than 40 domestic terrorism charges. OSF also gave roughly $23.3 million to seven groups that engaged in conduct meeting “the FBI’s definition of domestic terrorism,” and more than $50.5 million to organizations that publicly endorsed Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, according to the report.
For critics, the findings confirm longstanding concerns that OSF has become a financial engine for movements undermining law enforcement, destabilizing communities, and in some cases, openly supporting extremist causes.
OSF, however, has rejected the allegations as nothing more than political theater. “These are politically motivated attacks on civil society, meant to silence speech the administration disagrees with and undermine the First Amendment right to free speech,” a spokesperson said. The group said it has not received any official communication regarding an investigation.
“When power is abused to take away the rights of some people, it puts the rights of all people at risk,” the spokesperson added. “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.”
The federal directive targeting Soros’ sprawling foundation coincides with another high-profile development. Multiple outlets reported Wednesday that the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia is preparing to indict former FBI Director James Comey in the coming days, underscoring how aggressively the Justice Department is moving against figures once considered untouchable.
For Republicans long critical of Soros’ influence in Democratic politics, the prospect of criminal charges represents an overdue step toward accountability.
And for Americans skeptical of institutions that appear insulated from scrutiny, it may mark a test of whether equal justice under the law still prevails.
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