DOJ Official Directed Probes of Open Society

A senior Justice Department lawyer in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office, identified in reports as Aakash Singh, directed several U.S. attorney offices to draft plans to investigate the George Soros–funded Open Society Foundations, suggesting possible charges including racketeering (RICO), wire fraud, money laundering, arson and material support for terrorism. The memo cited a Capital Research Center report alleging Open Society funneled tens of millions of dollars to U.S. grantees and foreign partners — naming groups such as Al‑Haq — that the report links to extremist violence. Open Society Foundations strongly denied funding terrorism, called the effort politically motivated, and said its activities and grantees are peaceful and lawful. The directive comes amid repeated public pressure from President Trump to target Soros and intensified scrutiny after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to comment while DOJ spokespeople said the department will investigate organizations that threaten public safety. Critics say the memo represents an unprecedented politicization of the DOJ and an effort to manufacture prosecutions of a political opponent.