6 minPolitics
Singham-Linked Nonprofits Reject House Subpoena Demands, Cite First Amendment
Two nonprofits tied to tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham refused a House Ways and Means Committee ultimatum to turn over financial records, accusing the panel of a politically motivated investigation and warning that depositions would violate their constitutional rights.
Two nonprofits linked to Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham have rejected a congressional ultimatum to hand over financial records, accusing the House Ways and Means Committee of waging a politically motivated investigation that violates their First Amendment rights. The People's Forum, a New York City-based activist hub, and BreakThrough News, a far-left nonprofit media outlet, delivered their defiance in letters dated Oct. 20 to the committee, which had threatened to compel their leaders and Singham himself to testify under oath.
The People's Forum described the congressional pressure as a «MAGA-led witch hunt» in a statement posted Oct. 21 beneath a black graphic declaring, «We won't surrender our First Amendment rights.» BreakThrough News and its supporters say the committee is targeting the outlet over its coverage of Israel and immigration enforcement, while lawmakers maintain the inquiry concerns the organizations' finances and structure.
The standoff comes as the Republican-led committee, chaired by Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, investigates whether millions of dollars flowing through Singham's network of tax-exempt nonprofits are being used to advance Chinese Communist Party interests in the United States. The panel has identified Singham among 21 potential witnesses, including nonprofit executives, activists and journalists associated with the two organizations and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, a Massachusetts-based Marxist think tank that has not publicly responded to the latest demands.
Attorneys for BreakThrough News wrote that the committee's approach is «tantamount to holding the staff of BreakThrough News hostage,» accusing lawmakers of threatening seven newsroom employees with depositions unless the outlet abandons its constitutional objections. The attorneys also challenged the committee's foreign influence allegations, noting that Singham, who lives in Shanghai, is a U.S. citizen. The People's Forum similarly condemned the threat of depositions against eight staff members as retaliation for asserting First Amendment rights.
Both organizations accused the committee of repeatedly changing its rationale and ignoring their legal objections, though they said they remained open to narrower requests. The committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On their websites, BreakThrough News and The People's Forum urged supporters to donate to help fund their legal defenses.
The committee alleges that Singham routed money through shell companies and donor-advised funds, obscuring the original source of contributions to the three nonprofits. Singham, an American-born Marxist tech tycoon who now lives in Shanghai, sold his software company ThoughtWorks for an estimated $785 million in 2017. A previous investigation traced at least $278 million from Singham into six core U.S. nonprofits that served as funding hubs within a broader international network of activist groups, media organizations and think tanks promoting socialist, communist and pro-China causes.
Of that funding, $22.44 million flowed to The People's Forum, $16.76 million to Tricontinental and $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media Inc., the parent organization of BreakThrough News. The three received approximately $40.3 million combined, according to the earlier investigation, which the committee cited in its correspondence. The committee said it is examining whether existing tax laws adequately protect against foreign influence in the nonprofit sector and whether Congress should strengthen those laws.
Ten press freedom and civil liberties organizations, including PEN America, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Society of Professional Journalists, have backed BreakThrough News, accusing the committee of targeting its political views and warning that forcing journalists to testify could threaten press freedom. «Rep. Smith's shameless targeting of BreakThrough News for editorial viewpoints that he dislikes shows a complete disregard of the First Amendment,» said Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, in a statement published by BreakThrough News. In their Oct. 20 letter, the groups called on the committee to abandon its investigation into the outlet and refrain from issuing further subpoenas.
BreakThrough News has also been accused of sympathetically amplifying recent protests and unrest across Europe, including demonstrations in France that descended into violent riots, with protesters torching cars and clashing with police. The Singham-funded outlet advertised an online discussion titled «Europe's Youth Uprising,» declaring that «a rebellion is sweeping Europe» and portraying the demonstrations as a youth uprising against rising living costs, austerity and military spending.
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