The Trump Administration Picks its Latest Target

Americans Against Government Censorship Executive Director Cole Leiter released the following statement in response to the New York Times report that a senior Justice Department official has instructed more than a half dozen U.S. attorneys’ offices to draft plans to investigate Open Society Foundation, without specific evidence of wrongdoing. Open Society joins a long list of Trump’s perceived enemies who have faced political investigations, including Senator Adam Schiff, Attorney General Tish James, former FBI director James Comey.

“The Trump Administration has once again shown it will stop at nothing to weaponize the Justice Department against its perceived opponents. Ordering prosecutors to find crimes against a foundation with whom they disagree isn’t about pursuing justice—it’s about manufacturing targets.

“This is just the latest in a disturbing pattern: from threats from the FCC designed to silence Jimmy Kimmel; to the FBI threatening to indict James Comey; to deploying the FHFA to target New York Attorney General Tish James, Senator Adam Schiff, and Fed Reserve Board member Lisa Cook, this administration is not stopping as it abuses its power to punish critics.

“Every time the government is turned into a political weapon that can be used to attack an administrations’ ideological opponent, the American people are less safe at the hands of their own leaders.”