A top Justice Department official reportedly directed several federal prosecutor offices to investigate billionaire liberal donor George Soros' Open Society Foundations network, just weeks after President Donald Trump posted on social media that Soros and his son should be criminally charged.

Aakash Singh, a senior Justice Department official, issued the order in a letter to at least a handful of U.S. attorney's offices, including offices in New York and California, according to reports from the New York Times and ABC News. The New York Times said it obtained a copy of the letter, while ABC News cited multiple anonymous sources who confirmed contents of the letter.

The letter reportedly listed various potential charges for prosecutors to consider, including providing material support to terrorism, committing arson and racketeering.

"The Open Society Foundations unequivocally condemn terrorism and do not fund terrorism," the grant-giving network said in a statement. "Our activities are peaceful and lawful, and our grantees are expected to abide by human rights principles and comply with the law."

The network's work in the U.S. is aimed at strengthening democracy and upholding constitutional freedoms, according to the statement.

The network called the potential investigations "politically motivated attacks on civil society, meant to silence speech the administration disagrees with and undermine the First Amendment right to free speech."

The Justice Department didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. A department spokesperson, Chad Gilmartin, defended the move to the New York Times.

“This D.O.J., along with our hard-working and dedicated U.S. attorneys, will always prioritize public safety and investigate organizations that conspire to commit acts of violence or other federal violations of law,” Gilmartin said, according to the Times' report.

The move comes after Trump posted on Truth Social Aug. 27 that Soros and one of his sons "should be charged with RICO," which is shorthand for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a statute is used to prosecute organized criminal activity. Trump alleged the pair supported violent protests "and much more."

He didn't explain what he was referring to or how they allegedly broke the law.

Trump's call for criminal charges aligned with threats he made to prosecute rivals when he was on the campaign trail in 2024.

For example, the president shared a meme on social media about a year ago that read "INDICT THE UNSELECT J6 COMMITTEE' and 'SEDITION' in reference to the committee that investigated the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DOJ official reportedly ordered investigations into Trump target George Soros' network

Reporting by Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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