MEMO: Responding to Latest Government Weaponization Efforts
President Donald Trump spent Constitution Day posting on Truth social that he plans to investigate liberal advocacy groups and having his FCC Chairman threaten to block a merger unless ABC affiliates refused to air Jimmy Kimmel’s show. Americans Against Government Censorship Executive Director Cole Leiter released the following statement in response:
“This administration has demonstrated they are not working to make life better or safer for Americans, and instead are simply using the power of the government to baselessly punish ideological opponents. By using the FCC to force a comedian off the air and threatening to accuse liberal organizations of funding terrorism without providing any evidence, the administration is abusing its power in unacceptable ways.”
Americans Against Government Censorship has also prepared this interested parties memo to help raise awareness about looming attacks and give guidance on how to speak about them. Read more below.
To: Interested Parties
Fr: Americans Against Government Censorship
Subj: Emerging Weaponization Threats and Effective Messaging Against Them
Date: September 18, 2025
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What once sounded like theoretical warnings about “government weaponization” has become a reality for organizations across the country. While the Administration and other conservative actors have been laying the groundwork for this moment over the past eight months, we’ve seen a significant and dangerous shift in tone and intent from the highest levels of the White House since Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Political actors—inside and outside of the Administration—are manipulating this tragedy as an opportunity to demand evidence-free calls to crackdown on left of center organizations they view as ideological opponents and are portraying as enemies:
On Monday afternoon, the New York Times confirmed reports that the Administration will escalate its “crackdown” on progressive organizations. The Times wrote the crackdown is, “seizing on the killing to make broad and unsubstantiated claims about their political opponents.” And the New York Times followed up their reporting highlighting the “broadside” the administration has planned to go after left of center organizations and individuals: going after liberal groups like George Soros’s Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation; revoking visas; and designating progressive groups as supporting domestic terrorists without providing any evidence.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has been under fire by both conservatives and liberals for threatening to "absolutely target” and “go after” speech the admin deems to be hate speech
"Trump admin senior official Stephen Miller broadly branded the entire Democratic party as a “domestic terrorist organization”
Vice President JD Vance specifically called out groups and promised retribution to anyone the admin decides to target
FBI director Kash Patel endorsed Senator Ted Cruz’s RICO bill that lowers the threshold the government must clear in order to directly target nonprofits and foundations that support protest activities.
Trump ally Laura Loomer called for the Trump administration to “shut down, defund & prosecute every single leftist organization.”
And Donald Trump himself promised that his administration would “find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it.”
But the developments over the last week aren’t out of the blue; they’re a continuation of a trend that began in the last Congress that has only intensified.
Recent actions show the stakes: DOJ referrals aimed at Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, DHS restrictions on nonprofits that provide community services like veterans and health care, and congressional threats to revoke nonprofit tax status all underscore a clear pattern: when political actors abuse their power to weaponize the government against their ideological opponents, they risk shuttering the very organizations Americans depend on for food assistance, health care, veterans’ support, and civil rights protections.
New polling, conducted by Americans Against Government Censorship with IMPACT Research, confirms this shift is also felt by everyday Americans who are deeply concerned about politicians abusing power and using government for personal or political gain, and those concerns now feel real to them, rather than hypothetical.
Respondents ranked abuse of power by government officials as a top concern - with 86% of voters saying it was a big concern for them.
71% of Americans oppose giving the IRS the power to accuse any non-profit of supporting terrorists and revoking their non-profit status, without having to provide evidence, as some congressional Republicans attempted to pass in the last budget negotiation
58% of Americans oppose investigating and cutting funding to non-profits that support policies opposed by the current Administration.
The American people—of both parties—believe there need to be limits on power and the extent to which any politician can weaponize the government as they see the harm it is already causing in their own communities.
This memo outlines some of the upcoming flashpoints and weaponization activity we expect this fall, as well as detailed message guidance to communicate most effectively with every day Americans.
I. What to Expect from Congress This Fall
Republican leaders are signaling that Congress will serve as an amplifier for the administration’s agenda — with hearings, investigations, subpoenas, and deadlines designed to put nonprofits and civic institutions on trial.
Senator Cruz’s RICO Bill:. On its face, it adds “rioting” to RICO statutes; in practice, it lowers the threshold the government must clear in order to directly target nonprofits and foundations that support protest activity. The hearings that tie in this bill won’t just be legislative debate — they’ll be a dangerous threat, using news of the day to brand community organizations as criminal enterprises.
Oversight Hearings and IRS confirmation: House Republicans are preparing a new round of hearings targeting nonprofits’ tax status, particularly those that operate in the political sphere, civics, or represent ideologies with which the Administration disagrees. Their goal: create a permission structure for the IRS to strip nonprofits of their status because they disagree with the sitting administration. These upcoming hearings and bill introductions will give Republicans a platform to accuse civil rights groups, voting organizations, and even churches of being “radical” — while dangling the threat of audits and revocations, threatening the day-to-day operations of these organizations, and interrupting their funding and mission.
With the removal of IRS Commissioner Billy Long, we anticipate a confirmation hearing for whomever the President nominates to replace him. This will be an essential opportunity to learn more about the Administration's plans to further weaponize the IRS and secure commitments under oath about how the new Commissioner will conduct themselves as the administration they will represent is signaling the IRS is on the table as a tool of retribution.
ActBlue Investigation Deadline: In yet another example of selective targeting, both the White House and its Hill allies have raised numerous doubts about ActBlue without ever addressing WinRed’s documented foreign donation violations and consumer protection issues. The Justice Department is under pressure to take action against ActBlue, the Democratic small-dollar fundraising platform. For reporters, this is not just a campaign finance story — it’s about whether a president can use DOJ muscle to hobble the infrastructure of his opponents ahead of an election.
Continuing Retaliation: Beyond these marquee events, the Cook case shows how regulators and prosecutors are being directed to pursue political targets, even when the evidence contradicts the accusation. With referrals already flying at universities, watchdog groups, and law firms, expect more names and institutions to come under fire. Each one is a test of how far the government will go to punish dissent.
The fall calendar is shaping up as a sustained campaign from the same political actors that have been seeking to abuse power and weaponize the government against their enemies from day one of this administration: frame nonprofits as corrupt, attack grassroots and foundational fundraising abilities for progressives, and normalize the idea that any institution opposing those in power can be dismantled. That story — that pattern — is what reporters should be watching for.
III. How to Talk About This
For allies and partners, here are the four frames that resonate most and provide reporters with a clear story:
Call it an abuse of power that goes beyond oversight. The clearest way to explain what’s happening is to call it what it is: politicians abusing power for personal and political gain. Polling shows this language is broadly resonant, and it gives reporters a sharp frame that cuts through procedural clutter.
Spotlight communities as the victims. These attacks are not just about Washington insiders fighting each other. They mean veterans’ halls could be shuttered, churches and mosques could lose tax status, and food banks could be dragged into court. Reporters and every day Americans alike connect when the impact is described in terms of trusted local institutions.
Make this bigger than one man. While Trump’s role can be called out, it is a much more powerful frame to make this issue about the precedent he sets: if one president can do this, so can the next. That story resonates across party lines, helps us expand our persuadable audience and makes the danger harder to dismiss as partisan noise.
Once unleashed, the power won’t go back in the bottle. These tools — RICO prosecutions, politicized IRS audits, DOJ referrals — don’t vanish when administrations change. They will become part of the playbook for every president who follows. Framing it this way turns the debate from a partisan spat into a long-term threat to democracy itself.
IV. Bottom Line
This fall, Congress will test whether our constitution tolerates government being turned into a political weapon that any politician can wield against their ideological and political opponents. The hearings and investigations ahead are not about corruption or security. They are about giving politicians new tools to punish their opponents, silence nonprofits, and dismantle trusted community institutions.
For reporters, that is the throughline connecting RICO investigations, IRS and FHFA weaponization, and ActBlue. For allies, it is the message that unites our response: this is not about partisan skirmishes, it is about stopping an abuse of power that threatens every community, and every American, regardless of politics.
