Soros has given billions of dollars to liberal and anti-authoritarian causes all over the world, and as a result, he's long been a boogeyman for conservatives. That gives political cover for Republicans to tie Bragg to Soros - a name that “makes people on the populist right lose their minds,” Sheinkopf said. Soros' son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan Soros and Jennifer Allan Soros, gave directly to Bragg's campaign, according to public contribution data. In a situation like this, when a donor gives non-earmarked funds to a PAC whose spending he doesn’t control, “there’s no connection between the original contributor and the ultimate beneficiary the PAC has chosen to support,” said Jerry Goldfeder, a New York campaign finance expert and special counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP.īut even as it's false to suggest Soros directly contributed to Bragg’s election effort, it’s fair to say Soros-linked entities invested a significant sum to see Bragg elected, said New York political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. Some widely shared posts have even falsely claimed that Soros donated directly to Bragg’s campaign or personally prompted the probe.
Still, Republicans and social media users have sought to use the 2021 donation to link Soros to the looming potential charges against Trump. Personally and through another PAC, Soros donated about $4 million to Color of Change PAC between 20, Vachon said. Soros wrote in an op-ed in 2022 that he supports these candidates because they invest in changes he supports, including mental health programs and treating drug addiction as a disease instead of a crime. Soros' contribution to Color of Change PAC, which told The Associated Press it supports prosecutors looking to change the criminal justice system, follows a pattern for the investor, who “has made numerous contributions in support of reform-minded prosecutors across the country since 2015,” Vachon said. Soros didn't donate to Bragg’s campaign directly, and the two have never met in person, by phone or virtually, Vachon said. Soros gave $1 million to Color of Change PAC, a political group that ran an independent expenditure campaign to support Bragg’s district attorney run.īut Soros spokesman Michael Vachon confirmed the wealthy donor's contribution to the PAC was not earmarked to be used for Bragg.
The misleading claims about Soros' link to the Trump case stem from a real donation the philanthropist made in 2021. Scapegoating Soros, who is Hungarian American and Jewish, also perpetuates deep-rooted false ideas about Jewish people and immigrants to underscore the conspiracy theory that he is a shadowy villain orchestrating world events. Ron DeSantis called the case a “manufactured circus by some Soros-DA.”Įxperts say the claims exploit a gray area of campaign fundraising, where tenuous connections between PAC donors and the candidates who ultimately receive the funds can be unclear. Vance tweeted that the prosecutor was “bought by George Soros.” Florida Gov. Trump on Monday used his Truth Social platform to misleadingly claim that Bragg “received in EXCESS OF ONE MILLION DOLLARS” from Soros. But that hasn't stopped Trump and other high-profile Republicans from accusing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who convened the grand jury investigating Trump, of acting on Soros' behalf. The 92-year-old billionaire investor and philanthropist - who has been falsely accused of everything from hiring violent rioters to committing election crimes - doesn't know and didn't donate directly to the New York prosecutor steering the probe. NEW YORK – As former President Donald Trump braces for a potential indictment related to hush money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 campaign, Republicans blasting the case as politically motivated are blaming a frequent target: George Soros.
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