The U.S. Justice Department has ignited a political firestorm with its recent push for investigations into the George Soros-funded Open Society Foundations, marking a striking escalation in the Trump administration’s approach to its perceived adversaries. This move, coming just days after the high-profile indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, signals what many observers are calling a new phase in the deployment of federal law enforcement against political opponents.
According to The New York Times, an attorney from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office sent a memo to at least half a dozen U.S. attorney offices on September 25, 2025, instructing them to prepare for investigations into the Open Society Foundations. The memo even floated potential charges as serious as arson and material support of terrorism. The Open Society Foundations, established and largely funded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, supports a wide range of nonprofits worldwide, with much of its U.S. work focused on strengthening democracy and advancing human rights.
The organization wasted no time in rejecting the allegations. In a statement released the same day, the Open Society Foundations declared, “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.” The group went further, accusing the administration of using the justice system to silence dissent. “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.”
This latest action comes in the wake of a tragic and politically charged event: the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Vice President JD Vance and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller have openly discussed using Kirk’s death as a rallying cry to target left-wing groups, which they claim—without publicly presented evidence—are disproportionately responsible for provoking political violence. During a recent appearance on Kirk’s podcast, Miller pledged, “With God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks and make America safe again for the American people.” Vance, guest hosting the show, added, “We’re going to go after the NGO [nongovernmental organization] network that foments, facilitates and engages in violence.”
The administration’s rhetoric—and its swift follow-through—has sent shockwaves through the nonprofit sector. Within days, a coalition of 100 nonprofits published a letter warning that such investigations would have a chilling effect on advocacy, funding, and fundamental freedoms, including free speech and charitable giving. “Organizations should not be attacked for carrying out their missions or expressing their values in support of the communities they serve. We reject attempts to exploit political violence to mischaracterize our good work or restrict our fundamental freedoms, like freedom of speech and the freedom to give. Attempts to silence speech, criminalize opposing viewpoints, and misrepresent and limit charitable giving undermine our democracy and harm all Americans,” the coalition wrote.
When asked for comment, the Justice Department declined to address the specifics of the investigations into the Open Society Foundations. However, a spokesperson told The Hill, “The Attorney General is committed to the safety of every American. 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.”
This aggressive posture from the Trump administration is not limited to the nonprofit world. On September 28, 2025, Vice President Vance appeared on Fox News to discuss the recent indictment of James Comey. Vance predicted, “There will certainly be more indictments coming over the next three and a half years, but we will always let the law drive this.” He drew a sharp contrast between the current administration’s approach and that of the Biden years, accusing the previous administration of prosecuting political opponents for disagreeing with official policy. “Frankly, that makes us so much different from the Biden administration, where they indicted not just the president but so many people who were just engaged in the basic job of politics and policymaking, and disagreed with the Biden administration, and because they did, they faced prosecution from that same administration.”
Vance emphasized that the Comey indictment was not politically motivated, highlighting that it was handed down by a grand jury in Virginia—a state he described as “not exactly a hotbed of Donald Trump’s political support.” The grand jury returned two indictments out of three requested, which Vance argued demonstrated judicial prudence. “To those saying it’s all political: if you look at our track record in the Trump administration, there have been people prosecuted who have been political allies and agree with our politics, and people who disagree with our politics. We are not letting politics drive this; we’re letting the requirements of the justice system and the laws drive this.” He went on to accuse Comey of lying under oath to Congress multiple times and insisted the charges were based on legal facts, not partisanship: “The idea that this is driven by politics is preposterous when you read the details of the indictment and the obvious fact that James Comey did lie under oath to Congress multiple times.”
Yet, as The Washington Post reported, the indictment of Comey is widely viewed as a turning point—a moment when the administration’s use of the Justice Department to pursue political enemies became unmistakable. The paper noted that “President Donald Trump’s efforts to deploy the Justice Department against his enemies have entered a new phase, and the question now is who’s next.” The report underscored the uncertainty and anxiety now gripping Washington, as legal experts and political operatives alike speculate about the administration’s next targets.
The context for these developments is a nation deeply divided, where the boundaries between justice and politics have grown increasingly blurred. George Soros, whose philanthropic giving has long made him a lightning rod for conservative criticism, finds his foundation at the center of a legal and political maelstrom. Meanwhile, the nonprofit sector fears a chilling new era for advocacy and free speech, as the threat of federal investigations looms large.
For supporters of the administration, these actions represent a long-overdue reckoning with what they see as a politicized nonprofit sector and a justice system that has, in their view, been weaponized against them in the past. For critics, the investigations and indictments are a dangerous encroachment on civil liberties, an attack on dissent, and a warning to anyone who would oppose those in power.
As the dust settles from the Comey indictment and the Open Society Foundations prepares for potential legal battles, one thing is clear: the lines between law enforcement and politics have never been more contested in the nation’s capital. The coming months promise further clashes, as each side braces for what could be a defining struggle over the future of American democracy and the rule of law.
