What’s Causing Congress to Call for an Investigation of George Soros
Jenna Browder
CBNNEWS.COM
WASHINGTON – Billionaire George Soros has long been accused of meddling in European politics, and now American lawmakers are demanding answers over reports United States tax dollars are going to help fund some of his liberal causes in the small, conservative country of Macedonia.
Seven congressmen want to know why the U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia Jess Baily, appointed by Barack Obama, chose Soros’ Open Society Foundation as the main implementer of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) projects in that country.
The lawmakers include Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Illi., Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C., Rep. Jeff Fortenberry R-Neb., and Trent Franks, R-Ariz.
In January they wrote a letter to Baily detailing their concern.
“I have received credible reports that, over the past few years, the U.S. Mission to Macedonia has actively intervened in the party politics of Macedonia, as well as the shaping of its media environment and civil society, often favoring groups of one political persuasion over another,” wrote Rep. Smith.
The State Department responded, explaining in another letter that grants were awarded through a “competitive procurement process.” The letter also stated that the Mission has worked to advance U.S. interests “in a non-biased, non-partisan, objective and transparent manner.”
The vague response prompted the congressmen to ask the Government Accountability Office and Inspector General for a full investigation.
CBN News spoke with Rep. Gohmert and asked him about a recent meeting he had with members of Macedonia’s parliament.
“When you have leaders from other countries say, ‘your government is saying they’ll help us but we have to pass same-sex marriage laws, we have to pay for abortions,’ that’s when you know the United States is no longer deserving of God’s blessing because we’re out trying to force countries to abandon their religious beliefs,” Gohmert said.
The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch is also doing an investigation of its own.
In a news release, it lists some important facts and figures like USAID allocating about $5 million to leftwing Soros groups in Macedonia since 2012.
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Judicial Watch also fired off a public records request to USAID because the preliminary figures, obtained through various sources in both the U.S. and Macedonia, appear to be incomplete.
Judicial Watch goes on to further describe the situation with Soros’ Open Society Foundation going as far as funding liberal nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Macedonia to overthrow the conservative government. One Macedonian government official told Judicial Watch they call it the “Soros infantry.”
Soros is a Hungarian-born American and one of the wealthiest men in the world. He’s known for his staunch support of open borders, same-sex marriage, abortion and other liberal ideals.
Organizations linked to his name have been known to support such causes as A Day Without A Woman, the recent Berkley riots, and Black Lives Matter. Soros was also a major contributor to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
As with any investigation, it could take years to get to the bottom of this case and Judicial Watch thinks, “it’s unlikely Americans will receive answers.”
That may be true but in the process, the watchdog group and these lawmakers are raising an important question: how are U.S. tax dollars spent in other countries and who gets to decide how that money is implemented?