In a stunning display of hypocrisy, a pro-China media outlet currently under Congressional subpoena for alleged foreign influence found a sympathetic platform on "Democracy Now!" – a progressive news organization that itself has received millions of dollars from a software company founded by the very Marxist tech tycoon at the heart of the probe.
BreakThrough News, one of three organizations targeted last month by the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, used its appearance on "Democracy Now!" to vehemently denounce the investigation. Its presenter, Rania Khalek, portrayed the Congressional inquiry as a "McCarthy-style attack on journalism" and a "flagrant attack" on the First Amendment, rather than a legitimate probe into funding and alleged foreign influence, as the committee clearly stated.
During an interview with "Democracy Now!" host Amy Goodman, Khalek claimed lawmakers were reviving McCarthy-era tactics because they were "losing the argument" in the public debate. She cited the outlet's coverage of Israel and ICE's immigration enforcement as reasons for the supposed political targeting, and even warned viewers that "Democracy Now!" itself could be next, urging them to financially support BreakThrough News.
This narrative, however, conveniently ignores the cold, hard facts: the House Ways and Means Committee's investigation centers squarely on finances and organizational structure, not editorial positions. As a cover letter accompanying the subpoenas explicitly states, the inquiry concerns BreakThrough News's "financing arrangements and organizational structure" and "not its speech, editorial positions, or political viewpoints." That part should not be complicated.
The financial connections are undeniable and raise serious questions about the independence of these self-proclaimed "journalistic" outlets. BreakThrough News, through its parent company, received approximately $1.1 million from Neville Roy Singham, the 72-year-old American who now resides in Shanghai and is described as a Marxist. Adding another layer of uncomfortable truth, IRS filings reveal that "Democracy Now!" paid an estimated $2.5 million between 2019 and 2024 to ThoughtWorks, a software company founded by Singham. While Singham sold the company in 2017, the financial pipeline to a network of organizations now under federal scrutiny is strikingly evident.
The House committee's probe extends to roughly $39 million that allegedly flowed to BreakThrough News, People's Forum Inc. (a New York-based activist group from which BreakThrough News operates), and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, which openly champions "national liberation Marxism." The committee is meticulously examining whether existing nonprofit laws are sufficient to protect against foreign influence and if stronger measures are needed to safeguard American interests.
Singham's financial empire, according to a previous Fox News Digital investigation, has injected at least $278 million into a vast international network of media organizations, activist groups, and think tanks. Organizations within this sprawling network have consistently participated in or organized anti-ICE, anti-Israel, and pro-Iran demonstrations—activities that directly undermine American security and global standing.
Khalek's passionate defense on "Democracy Now!" conspicuously avoided addressing the committee's core questions about BreakThrough News's finances and organizational structure. Instead, she doubled down on the narrative of political persecution, claiming, "This smear that we're part of a 'foreign plot' is all they have left because they can't win on their merits."
This familiar deflection tactic has been widely echoed across the radical left. Figures like Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, and CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin (whose co-founder, Jodie Evans, notably married Singham in 2017), quickly labeled the investigation as "McCarthyism" and a "witch hunt." Apparently, for some on the left, any scrutiny of foreign-tied funding automatically equates to an attack on free speech. And there it is.
The seriousness of this situation extends beyond Congressional subpoenas. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York has initiated a separate grand jury investigation into alleged wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes within Singham's funding network. No charges have yet been announced, but the ongoing criminal probe underscores the profound national security implications of this entangled web.
As Khalek ominously concluded during her interview, "It starts with BreakThrough News. But if we let them win, next they come after Democracy Now!, and it only gets bigger from there." This statement serves as an unintended warning to Americans: the fight for transparency and accountability against foreign influence, particularly from communist-aligned sources, is a critical battle for the soul of our nation. Ensuring that our media and activist groups are free from foreign manipulation is not "McCarthyism" but a fundamental pillar of American freedom and national security. The integrity of our institutions demands nothing less.
