The People's Forum Inc. and BreakThrough News have refused to hand over financial records to the House Ways and Means Committee, arguing that the probe targets their political speech rather than their finances. In letters sent on Tuesday, the two organizations accused lawmakers of violating their First Amendment rights by threatening to compel sworn testimony from their leaders and Neville Roy Singham.
The Republican-led panel, chaired by Jason Smith, R-Mo., is examining whether funds moving through Singham's network of tax-exempt groups serve Chinese Communist Party interests in the United States. Smith stated on Oct. 13 that Singham has used these entities to promote propaganda, demanding either the release of documents or sworn answers from their leaders. While the committee maintains the investigation concerns organizational structure, it has not publicly identified evidence that the groups are concealing information related to foreign influence.
Attorneys for BreakThrough News challenged the committee's allegations in an Oct. 20 response, noting that Singham is a U.S. citizen despite residing in Shanghai. The legal team argued that threatening seven newsroom employees with depositions unless the outlet dropped its constitutional objections was tantamount to holding staff hostage. Similarly, The People's Forum described the demands as retaliation for asserting its rights, citing threats against eight staff members. Both groups stated they remained open to narrower requests but accused the committee of repeatedly changing its rationale and ignoring their legal objections.
The standoff highlights the scale of funding previously traced to Singham's network. A Fox News Digital investigation found that at least $278 million flowed from Singham into six core U.S. nonprofits that served as funding hubs for activist groups and think tanks promoting socialist and pro-China causes. Of that total, $22.44 million went to The People's Forum, $16.76 million to Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, and $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media Inc., the parent organization of BreakThrough News. These three entities received approximately $40.3 million combined. Tricontinental, a Massachusetts-based think tank identified as a potential witness, has not publicly released a response to the latest demands.
Singham, who sold his software company ThoughtWorks for an estimated $785 million in 2017, is among 21 potential witnesses identified by the committee. The investigation also examines whether existing tax laws adequately protect against foreign influence in the nonprofit sector. Meanwhile, BreakThrough News has been accused of amplifying recent protests in Europe, including violent riots in France, through an online discussion titled "Europe's Youth Uprising." The outlet and The People's Forum have urged supporters to donate to fund their legal defenses.
Ten press freedom organizations, including PEN America and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, have backed BreakThrough News against the subpoenas. Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, stated that targeting editorial viewpoints shows a disregard for the First Amendment. These groups called on the committee to abandon its investigation into the outlet. As of publication, the committee had not responded to requests for an update following the Oct. 20 deadline.