JUDICIAL WATCH INVESTIGATIVE FACT SHEET

THE VAST GEORGE SOROS NETWORK

BACKGROUND

George Soros was born in Hungary and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1961. He made his fortune managing hedge funds and investments worldwide. In February 2017 Forbes Magazine estimated his net worth at $25.2 billion, ranking him as the 19th wealthiest individual in the world.

George Soros created his Open Society Foundations (OSF) in 1979. According to the group’s website, OSF has contributed $1.5 BILLION to groups in the United States alone. DiscovertheNetworks.org has stated that the OSF has funded 199 organizations in the United States, and an additional seven American groups have been funded indirectly by contributions from other Soros-funded groups. In late 2017, Soros transferred $18 BILLION … the bulk of his personal wealth … to OSF. In one fell swoop, Soros’ transfer to OSF made the group second only to the Bill and Melinda Gates’ Foundation in the value of its U.S. assets.

DIRECT U.S. POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT AND FUNDING OF LEFT-WING CANDIDATES

Soros’ direct political activity began during the 2004 campaign cycle. He contributed just over $25 million to various liberal and Democratic Party groups working to defeat then-President George W. Bush’s reelection. Since then, Soros has continued to make large personal contributions to leftist candidates for national office, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. (Judicial Watch does not support or oppose candidates for public office.)

Recently, new evidence of Soros’ ongoing involvement in supporting left-wing candidates came to light. Soros personally donated $408,000 to a Political Action Committee that supported Cook County, Illinois State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who made headlines when she dropped felony charges against actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of fabricating a hate crime. Smollett claimed he was attacked in Chicago by two masked men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs, beat him, poured bleach on him and tied a rope around his neck. He blamed the attack on white Trump supporters. Smollett’s entire story was a fabrication, apparently created by the actor in order to make headlines and increase his visibility as he negotiated his TV contract. When the hoax was uncovered, prosecutors charged him with 16 felonies … but Foxx dropped the charges.

Soros continues to contribute lavish sums to left-wing Democrats in races for justice-sensitive posts including prosecutors. state’s attorneys and district attorneys in a growing number of states across the U.S.

Where Does Other Soros Money Go?

Groups receiving funds from OSF are universally “progressive” in their philosophy. Some recipients cover the full range of radical and progressive causes, including:

• The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU);

• The Brookings Institution;

• The Center for American Progress;

• Common Cause;

• Planned Parenthood.

Other groups receiving financial support from the Soros network address specific issues. They include:

• Anti-Israel (Al-Haq, Amnesty International, Arab American Institute Foundation, New Israel Fund);

• Anti-conservative judicial appointments (Alliance for Justice);

• Anti-educational choice (American Federation of Teachers);

• Pro-abortion rights (Catholics for Choice, Center for Reproductive Rights, National Women’s Law Center);

• Radical and LGBT agenda (Human Rights Campaign)

Soros’ support also goes to groups involved in two issues that are extremely important to Judicial Watch: illegal immigration and honest elections. Here is a partial list of open-border and pro-amnesty groups that have received money from the OSF:

• America’s Voice (pro-”comprehensive immigration reform”);

• American Bar Association Commission on Immigration Policy (“opposes laws that require employers and persons providing education, health care or other social services to verify citizenship or immigration status”);

• American Immigration Council (pro-amnesty);

• American Immigration Law Foundation (legal actions in support of amnesty);

• Brennan Center for Justice (legal actions, pro bono support to activists, media campaigns);

• Casa de Maryland (radical state lobbying organization for amnesty and expanded rights for illegal aliens living in Maryland);

• Center for Constitutional Rights (pro-open-borders);

• National Immigration Forum (pro-amnesty for illegal aliens and more visas for individuals wishing to immigrate legally to the U.S.);

• National Immigration Law Center (pro-full access to government social welfare programs for illegal aliens).

• Unidos US (formerly National Council of La Raza) (pro-amnesty and expanded rights for illegal aliens).

Judicial Watch research has also identified Casa de Maryland, National Immigration Law Center, and Unidos US as recipients of U.S. taxpayer dollars (through U.S. government grants).

The following groups have received Soros funding and are reportedly active in promoting, organizing, and supporting the “migrant caravans” from Central America which helped ignite the current unprecedented numbers of illegal aliens attempting to cross our border with Mexico.

• Amnesty International;

• The Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) (the “largest network of nonprofit immigration legal services programs” in the country;

• The American Constitution Society (highly critical of Trump immigration policies);

• Center for Legal Action in Human Rights (active in OSF programs in Guatemala);

• Church World Service (compared Trump administration response to the migrant caravans to turning away Jewish refugees from Europe aboard the MS St. Louis in 1930);

• Human Rights First (actively opposes Trump administration immigration efforts);

• The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (sued Trump administration over his immigration executive order and the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census form);

• The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (provided legal assistance to caravan migrants).

Judicial Watch research has also identified The Catholic Legal Immigration Network as a recipient of U.S. taxpayer dollars through grants from three U.S. government agencies.

Following is a partial list of Soros-funded groups determined to weaken ballot integrity, undermine election integrity laws, and make it easier for illegal aliens to vote in American elections.

• The Advancement Project (which advertises itself as “the next generation, multi-racial civil rights organization);

• Bend the Arc Jewish Action (condemns voter ID laws as barriers that make it harder for minorities to vote);

• Demos (whose board is now chaired by the daughter of radical U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren);

• Project Vote (the voter-mobilization arm of the discredited ACORN organization, which also received Soros support);

• Southern Coalition for Social Justice (involved in several challenges to voter ID and redistricting legal challenges in the South).

The Revolving Personnel Door between the Soros Network and the U.S. Government. The influence of George Soros upon U.S. government policy, especially during the Obama years, is not due exclusively to his massive financial contributions to liberal advocacy groups, left-wing candidates, and the Democratic Party. His world-view is also shared by scores of liberal activists who at one time or another have worked in the Soros network (most frequently at the Open Society Foundations) and in policy-making positions within the U.S. government … including positions in the Obama White House, the Justice Department, the State Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Judicial Watch has identified 21 individuals who have been through this “revolving door” between the Soros network and the U.S. government, and we believe that we have just begun to scratch the surface.

At the same time, we have identified millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars going, in the form of U.S. government grants, to groups led by OSF board members and others with connections to the Soros network. (You can review profiles of these individuals and review some of the OSF-related grants we have uncovered in ”The Financial and Staffing Nexus Between the Open Society Foundations and the United States Government,” a Judicial Watch Special Report that we would like to send to you in appreciation for your tax-deductible contribution of $50 or more.)

Conclusion

The Soros network clearly dwarfs both national political parties in its financial resources. Its impact on American public policies (both foreign and domestic) is only now beginning to be understood … thanks in large part to Judicial Watch’s research, investigations, and litigation. There is much more to be learned about the influence of the Soros network, and especially when U.S. taxpayer dollars are awarded to groups within the Soros network, therefore using public taxpayer funds to advance George Soros’ radical left agenda.

Judicial Watch is suitably positioned and uniquely qualified to successfully investigate and litigate this nexus of taxpayer financing of left-wing activism.