Public records show that millions of dollars given to former President Barack Obama’s foundation were later redirected to a progressive fund that has supported anti-Israel groups, including those accused of organizing encampments at Ivy League universities.

According to federal tax filings, the Obama Foundation — established to construct a 19-acre campus in Chicago featuring a museum, athletic facility, and gardens — transferred $2 million to the Tides Foundation in 2022 and 2023, the New York Post reported.

The cash was earmarked to “support local organizations that are working to reduce violence in communities,” according to filings by the foundation.

The Tides Foundation — which also receives funding from Democratic donor George Soros — serves as a fiscal sponsor for organizations that have not registered with the IRS as charities. The group is currently under review by the House Ways and Means Committee for its role in directing donations to groups including the Adalah Justice Project, Samidoun, and the People’s Forum.

These organizations have been linked to pro-Palestinian demonstrations and student encampments that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, which killed 1,200 people, The Post reported.

Following publication of the story on Friday, a spokeswoman for the Obama Foundation said the $2 million in question was distributed to more than 50 organizations nationwide to reduce “surging summer violence” and to create “safe spaces” for young people.

“The Tides Center played an administrative role in the program by processing grants while Cities United [a nonprofit] managed the application process,” the spokeswoman told The Post in an email.

Tides has also overseen donations for the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, which filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court last year accusing the fund of “egregious mismanagement” of more than $33 million, according to court records. That case remains ongoing.

In addition to its donations to Tides, filings show the Obama Foundation directed more than $3 million in grants to Gofundme.org in 2022 and 2023 for unspecified programs described as supporting “grassroots leaders to empower girls through education.”

The Obama Foundation revelations and connection to an organization funded in part by left-wing billionaire Soros come as a senior Justice Department official has ordered more than half a dozen U.S. attorneys’ offices to draft plans for criminal investigations into Soros’ Open Society Foundation.

The directive, obtained by The New York Times, outlines potential charges including racketeering, arson, wire fraud, and material support of terrorism, The New York Times reported.

It is the latest sign that federal prosecutors are moving aggressively at the urging of President Donald Trump, who has publicly demanded that Soros face criminal charges.

The president sharpened his criticism of Soros after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah this month.

At a rally, Trump threatened to use government levers to “go after” donors to progressive groups, specifically mentioning Soros by name.

Conservatives argue that the foundation supports unrest, violent protests, and property destruction.

On Monday, Todd Blanche’s office sent a memo to federal prosecutors in New York, California, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Detroit, and Maryland, instructing them to prepare investigative strategies.

The order was signed by Aakash Singh, a Justice Department lawyer tasked with coordinating between the deputy attorney general’s office and U.S. attorneys’ offices nationwide.

Singh cited a report by the conservative Capital Research Center, which tracks liberal spending in politics.

That report accused Soros-backed groups of funneling more than $80 million into organizations connected to terrorism or extremist violence.

“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,” Justice Department spokesman Chad Gilmartin said.

Acting AG Blanche Fires Back at Obama’s DOJ Criticism

Posted July 21, 2026

Former President Barack Obama sharply criticized the Trump administration this week over what he described as growing political influence inside the United States Department of Justice, prompting an aggressive response from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defending both the administration’s prosecutions and President Donald Trump’s authority over the executive branch.

The escalating public dispute comes as the Justice Department faces mounting scrutiny over a series of criminal investigations and indictments involving several longtime Trump critics and political adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey.

Obama raised the issue during an interview with Stephen Colbert on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that aired Monday night.

“The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever,” Obama said during the interview. “The idea is that the attorney general is the people’s lawyer. It’s not the president’s consigliere.”

Obama suggested the principle of DOJ independence may ultimately need to be codified into law by Congress, arguing that the justice system risks becoming politicized if presidents are perceived as directly targeting political opponents through federal prosecutions.

The comments immediately triggered pushback from the Trump administration.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accused Obama of hypocrisy, arguing that his administration played a central role in the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation.

“Barack Hussein Obama is the king of weaponization,” Jackson said in a statement, referencing declassified documents related to the FBI’s Russia probe.

But the administration’s most extensive response came Wednesday from Blanche during an interview with CBS News in Phoenix.

Blanche forcefully rejected accusations that the DOJ is engaged in political retaliation and defended the president’s constitutional authority over the executive branch.

“Article Two says, ‘the executive power shall be vested in the President of the United States of America,’” Blanche said while holding a pocket copy of the Constitution during the interview. “It does not say that the Attorney General stands off to the side.”

Blanche emphasized that the attorney general serves within the executive branch and argued that presidents are fully entitled to direct priorities involving law enforcement, immigration, drugs, and national security.

“To the extent that President Trump calls me and says that he thinks we have a problem in this country, whether it’s the scourge of drugs, illegal immigration, every American wants him to do that,” Blanche said. “And he should.”

The acting attorney general also dismissed accusations that the DOJ is pursuing politically motivated cases against Trump critics.

“We are absolutely doing nothing but what we should be doing at the Department of Justice,” Blanche said. “I wake up with a very clean conscience every morning.”

The public clash comes amid multiple high-profile investigations involving Trump adversaries.

Most notably, Comey was recently indicted after prosecutors alleged a 2025 Instagram post featuring seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47” constituted a threat against Trump, the 47th president. Prosecutors argue “86” is commonly understood slang meaning “to eliminate” or “get rid of.”

Blanche defended the case, arguing threats against the president must be treated seriously given recent assassination attempts and escalating political extremism.

Last year, Trump publicly urged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue prosecutions against Comey, James, and Sen. Adam Schiff, writing on social media that “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED.”

Blanche declined to discuss private conversations with Trump when asked whether the president personally directed prosecutions.

“But rest assured,” Blanche said, “he has much better, bigger and important things to do than to worry about me doing my job.”

Blanche also turned Democrats’ criticism back against them by pointing to the multiple criminal prosecutions Trump himself faced before returning to office, including cases brought by state prosecutors in New York and Georgia as well as federal investigations overseen by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

“So I welcome criticism. Let’s go,” Blanche said. “But if you’re sitting in a glass house, you ought not throw stones.”