Soros v. Trump: What to know about Trump's push for prosecution
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George Soros, billionaire and founder of Soros Fund Management LLC, speaks at an event on day three of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Justice Department senior official ordered federal prosecutors to draw up investigative plans targeting George Soros' philanthropic network after President Trump called the billionaire Democratic donor a "bad guy" who should be jailed, according to the New York Times.
Why it matters: Trump is systematically directing the DOJ to target political enemies, shattering long-standing norms of prosecutorial independence as he builds off this week's indictment of ex-FBI Director James Comey.
Context: Top Virginia prosecutor Erik Siebert resigned under Trump's pressure after finding insufficient evidence to charge former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
- Trump replaced him with his former personal lawyer, Lindsey Halligan. Days later, on Thursday, she indicted Comey, raising questions about how quickly Trump could push similar action against Soros.
Here's what to know about George Soros and his feud with Trump.
The latest
The big picture: Trump has repeatedly called for Soros to be jailed, claiming without evidence the billionaire philanthropist funds protests and terrorism. The latest directive comes amid a broader crackdown on left-leaning groups following the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Catch up quick: A senior official in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's office told more than a half-dozen U.S. attorney's offices Monday to submit plans to investigate Soros' Open Society Foundations, The New York Times reported.
- The memo listed many possible charges, including racketeering, arson, wire fraud and material support for terrorism.
- Soros has long been the target of conspiracy theories, some with antisemitic overtones that portray him as secretly orchestrating world events.
Soros' pre-Trump era
Soros, a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor, launched what is now called the Open Society Foundations in 1979 to fund democracy-building and social justice efforts worldwide.
- Soros, now 95, built his fortune by managing his own hedge fund focused on global investing.
- In the 1990s, Soros earned $1 billion in a single day by betting against the British pound.
What started the feud
Soros donated nearly $10 million to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign and criticized Trump after his election victory.
Threat level: Soros' support for progressive causes has made him the target of GOP conspiracy theories.
- The billionaire has been falsely accused of orchestrating the white supremacist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 or paying people in Honduras to storm the U.S. border.
- Trump also blamed Soros without evidence for financing Black Lives Matter protesters and the president's own indictment.
Trump's push to investigate Soros
Trump told NBC News in an interview earlier this month that Soros "should be put in jail," adding, "He's a bad guy."
What they're saying: Open Society Foundations called Trump's efforts an attack on free speech.
- "Our activities are peaceful and lawful, and our grantees are expected to abide by human rights principles and comply with the law," it said in a statement released Thursday. "When power is abused to take away the rights of some people, it puts the rights of all people at risk.
- A DOJ spokesperson told Axios their department doesn't comment on investigations, but added, "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."
