Singham-linked nonprofits fight House subpoenas, accuse lawmakers of McCarthy-era ‘witch hunt’

Two nonprofits linked to a network funded by tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, BreakThrough News and Peoples Forum Inc., have formally rejected subpoenas from the House Ways and Means Committee, arguing the demands amount to a politically motivated "witch hunt" reminiscent of Cold War-era Red Scare tactics. The dispute pits the committee's stated aim of examining potential foreign influence and tax-code abuse against the organisations' claim that their free speech, journalism and advocacy are being unfairly targeted, setting up a First Amendment showdown over congressional investigative powers.

In near-identical letters dated 7 August, attorneys for both groups said the subpoenas issued on 21 July were too broad and infringed constitutional protections, though they left open the possibility of compliance if demands were narrowed. Committee chairman Jason Smith insisted compliance is not optional, and the panel says it is probing how $40.3 million from Singham's network reached BreakThrough News, Peoples Forum and a third group, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, without alleging any criminal wrongdoing. Attorneys for the nonprofits, who also represented them in earlier inquiries, compared the probe to the House Un-American Activities Committee of the 1940s-50s.