Singham-Linked Nonprofits Refuse a House Ultimatum and Call the Probe a 'MAGA-Led Witch Hunt'
The People's Forum and BreakThrough News told the Ways and Means Committee no, citing the First Amendment. The committee says it is tracing millions in Neville Roy Singham's network and has named 21 possible witnesses.
Two nonprofits tied to tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham have turned down a congressional demand for their financial records. They say the House Ways and Means Committee is using a foreign-influence investigation to go after their politics.
The refusals. The People's Forum, a New York City activist hub, and BreakThrough News, a far-left media outlet, answered in letters dated Oct. 20. The committee, chaired by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., had threatened to depose their leaders, and Singham himself, if they did not comply with earlier subpoenas. The People's Forum called it a "MAGA-led witch hunt." BreakThrough News' lawyers said the demand is "tantamount to holding the staff of BreakThrough News hostage," because it threatens seven newsroom employees with depositions. The People's Forum says eight of its staff face the same threat. Both groups said they remain open to narrower requests.
Singham's citizenship. The groups' lawyers objected to the committee grouping Singham with foreign principals. "Mr. Singham is a U.S. citizen," BreakThrough's attorneys wrote. He lives in Shanghai. The committee has named him among 21 potential witnesses, including executives, activists and journalists linked to the two groups and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, a Massachusetts-based Marxist think tank that has not publicly answered the latest demands.
What the committee says. Republicans are examining whether millions flowing through Singham's tax-exempt network are being used to advance Chinese Communist Party interests in the U.S. They allege he routed money through shell companies and donor-advised funds, hiding the original source. They also say they want to know whether current tax law protects the nonprofit sector from foreign influence. The committee did not respond to Fox's request for comment.
The money. A Fox News Digital investigation traced at least $278 million from Singham into six core U.S. nonprofits. Of that, $22.44 million went to The People's Forum, $16.76 million to Tricontinental and $1.098 million to BreakThrough's parent company, about $40.3 million combined, according to Fox. Singham sold his software company, ThoughtWorks, for an estimated $785 million in 2017.
Press freedom groups side with BreakThrough. Ten organizations, including PEN America, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Society of Professional Journalists, back the outlet. They warn that forcing journalists to testify could threaten press freedom. Both groups are also asking supporters to donate to their legal defense.
Note for readers: the funding figures and the China allegation come from the committee and Fox's investigation. The nonprofits dispute the committee's motives. We have not seen the subpoenas or the letters. Our earlier report covered the committee's original warning.