Soros-backed dark money network paid New York Dem candidate's salary: 'Incredibly problematic'

FIRST ON FOX: A top Democratic House recruit drew a salary worth tens of thousands of dollars from a left-wing dark money network heavily bankrolled by George Soros’ political empire, Fox News Digital has learned.

New York congressional candidate Laura Gillen, a town supervisor in the Long Island town of Hempstead, drew a $40,000 "fellow" salary with the group Our American Future Foundation (OAFF) in 2023, according to her financial disclosures. The group and a sister nonprofit, Our American Future Action, help pay expenses for individuals—overwhelmingly Democrats—who plan to run for office in the future.

According to the Open Society Foundations, the umbrella of groups founded by Soros, its Open Society Action Fund has donated more than $18 million to Our American Future Action "to support non-partisan policy advocacy and civic engagement." 

Tax filings show Our American Future Action is Our American Future Foundation's "direct controlling entity."

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A spokesperson for Our American Future Foundation told Fox News Digital the funding went to Our American Future Action and that Our American Future Foundation "has not received any funding from them." 

Our American Future Foundation also received direct support from the Soros empire. It got an undisclosed level of funding last year from the Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation, a charitable group run by one of the left-wing billionaire’s sons, tax filings show.

Jonathan and Jennifer Soros have also donated to Gillen’s campaign directly, each contributing $3,300 this year. Another Soros son, Robert Soros, donated $2,900 to Gillen’s unsuccessful 2022 campaign to unseat Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.

"It is incredibly problematic that George Soros is paying candidates to run for office through a program disguised as a ‘fellowship,’" said Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog group Americans for Public Trust, in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

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"Voters should be seriously alarmed that Laura Gillen, who is claiming to run on ethics and transparency, is being personally propped up by a Soros group that is advocating for open borders, anti-police measures, and radical energy policies," Sutherland continued. "This raises crucial questions about who Gillen will answer to if elected to Congress: the voters…or George Soros?"

Gillen has claimed that pointing out Soros funding for her campaign is responsible for "antisemitic violence." 

Rep. Dan Goldman, a fellow New York Democrat, has also accused D’Esposito, whom Gillen is challenging again this cycle, of "using a disgusting antisemitic trope" by pointing out Soros' backing.

Soros' groups have heavily funded organizations behind antisemitic protests since last year aimed at delegitimizing Israel and stopping U.S. support for its military campaign against the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

The Open Society Action Fund’s $18,055,000 in funding for Our American Future Action began in 2023 and was slated to finance activities stretching for 19 months, according to a grants database on the Open Society Foundations website. Tax filings indicate the Jonathan and Jennifer Alan Soros Foundation’s donation also came in 2023, the same year Gillen drew her fellowship salary.

The fellowship program is designed to provide aspiring political candidates, overwhelmingly Democrats, with money to cover basic living expenses while they focus on future political campaigns.

Several Democratic candidates in competitive 2024 contests have received funding from the group, including California’s Will Rollins, Nebraska’s Tony Vargas, Arizona’s Kirsten Engel and New York’s Josh Riley, according to the Washington Examiner.

In March, the Examiner first reported that the nonprofit watchdog group Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) was filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging OAFF’s payments to future House candidates violated federal law. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, OAFF is prohibited from spending money on political activity. However, FACT alleged its payments to eventual candidates for office were explicitly designed to advance their political prospects.

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"The fellowship’s true purpose was explicitly described by its founder as a way to give money to failed candidates (or prospective candidates) for personal expenses in the brief downtime before they are able to file again to run for another office," FACT wrote in its complaint. "Thus, the fellowship is directly tied to a federal candidacy and not for bona fide independent employment. Any claim otherwise would strain credulity."

Soros has also poured millions into several other groups and committees backing Democrats throughout the 2024 cycle. His two super PACs – Democracy PAC and Democracy PAC II – have so far combined to shower left-wing groups with $53 million, Federal Election Commission records show.

Gillen recently benefited from one of the groups financed by the left-wing billionaire. On Aug. 2, Soros’ Democracy PAC sent $500,000 to the League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund, which weeks later spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on independent expenditures backing her candidacy in the form of digital production, ad buys, and other items. During that time, the group also backed Kamala Harris and a handful of other Democrats.

Gillen’s campaign and the Open Society Foundation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.