Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, along with the Internal Revenue Service, might be about to rain on the parade of a number of left-wing nonprofit organizations, including George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, according to three sources close to the situation who sat down for a conversation with The New York Post.
The move is a part of the Trump supported crackdown on “bogus” charities, and it looks like officials with the Treasury Department are in the middle of carrying out audits of groups that have been deemed to be using and abusing the U.S. tax code, according to information shared by the three sources who were briefed on the Treasury Department’s internal policy deliberations.
Secretary Bessent recently revealed the strategy being employed in the crackdown during a speaking event, saying, “President Trump’s direction, Treasury is expanding its efforts to identify organizations that abuse charitable and nonprofit structures as vehicles for illicit finance. We are examining where tax-exempt status has been exploited.”
“Where charitable entities have become financial conduits for foreign influence activity, and how those entrusted with stewardship of these organizations have instead enabled violence. Where the evidence leads, we will not hesitate to follow, and of course, we will hold these organizations, officers, directors accountable. And just as financial institutions must know their clients, they must know their grantees. That work is well underway,” he added.
According to the New York Post, Bessent’s inner circle is currently working on a blueprint that could strip non-compliant organizations of their 501(c)(3) status. If the reviews prove successful, it could result in big back payments and stiff civil penalties for those who have violated the laws and regulations surrounding nonprofit groups.
The initiative partly leans on an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in 2025, which targets nonprofits operating with a “substantial illegal purpose,” which creates a path forward for the IRS to slap such groups with fines or even strip their tax-exempt status, especially if they are connected to political violence, protests, or radical ideologies.
Anti-corporate and labor-aligned groups are also coming under scrutiny and if evidence of wrongdoing is found, these organizations could find themselves blacklisted. This potentially includes groups such as the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, the anti-Amazon Athena Coalition, leftist watchdog MediaJustice, and the Strategic Organizing Center along with the SEIU.
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“There’s a lot of internal pressure to get it done, but some people are still moving too slowly at the IRS,” the source went on to say in the report. “That is expected to change very soon.” One individual who commented on a video clip of Bessent’s speech on Facebook said, “Finally!!! A call to end Citizens United!! And the Treasury Secretary is calling it out!!”
“First thing to do is take out Soros,” someone else commented. “This is long overdue, and they should audit every lottery in the country too. Wherever there is a lot of money changing hands there will be crooks taking advantage of the situation,” another user said. “How about zero tax breaks for anyone. How about we all pay the same amount? How about citizens go 8 years with zero taxes to regulate?” one user said.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video