Washington, DC – This week the Trump Administration’s Justice Department reportedly instructed several U.S. attorney’s offices to develop plans to investigate Open Society Foundations. This is the latest in a string of attacks signaling President Trump’s willingness to weaponize the Justice Department to pursue his perceived enemies. These attacks are chilling and un-American, a departure from our tradition of free speech and the rule of law. They endanger us all.
Open Society Foundations (OSF) was founded by George Soros, a Jewish immigrant, survivor of Hitler’s brutal occupation of Hungary, and self-made billionaire. Rooted in his personal experience, Soros determined to channel his philanthropic giving to support profoundly American values: democratic governance, individual liberties, and non-violent political change. Open Society Foundations have supported these causes in dozens of countries around the world to the great benefit of humanity. It is not surprising that Soros and his foundation have embittered opponents of those values, including Vladimir Putin, Victor Orban, and Donald Trump. It is nonetheless shocking to see in this country the tactics of an authoritarian regime.
This latest measure is part of a sweep of actions taken by the Trump Administration to silence opponents and dismantle checks on its power. This includes sanctioning prominent law firms, deporting student activists, withholding federal funding from universities, threatening judges, firing inspectors general within government agencies, and usurping the constitutional powers of Congress. None of these actions are healthy for American democracy or designed to benefit Americans. Rather, they are consistent with a type of regime that seeks to reshape society to serve the interests of its rulers – the closed society that George Soros and his son and current OSF Chair Alex Soros have wisely feared and opposed.
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