Soros family helped push Manhattan DA Bragg into power

The Manhattan grand jury indictment Thursday night of former President Donald Trump is sparking new scrutiny of the George Soros-supported district attorney who led the investigation into Trump's alleged violations of state campaign finance laws.

The former president is expected to surrender to District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office early next week, following his indictment stemming from Bragg's investigation into Trump's alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. 

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Fox News Digital previously reported that in May 2021, financier George Soros pushed $1 million to the Color of Change PAC, which turned around and spent big, backing Bragg's candidacy. 

Soros' son, Jonathan Soros, and Jonathan's wife, Jennifer Allan Soros, also donated directly to Bragg's campaign, according to New York campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital.

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On April 26, 2021, Jonathan Soros sent a $10,000 check to the now-district attorney's coffers, state filings show. Three days later, on April 29, Jennifer Allan Soros added a $10,000 contribution to the campaign. While other individuals provided more direct cash to his committee, the couple were among the field of some of its biggest donors. 

The contributions were also uncommon for the pair, as they generally do not get financially involved with district attorney races, though they have donated to other New York political campaigns and issue groups. Jonathan Soros did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment on the Bragg donations.

George Soros, on the other hand, has targeted numerous prosecutor races with millions of dollars in recent years.

Soros' district attorney operation usually involves his longtime treasurer, Whitney Tymas, establishing "pop-up" political action committees in states where he targets the races. Once set up, the financier injects money into the PACs, which tend to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars backing his preferred candidates. The PACs typically dissolve after the elections. 

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In Bragg's case, this did not happen. Instead, Soros donated $1 million in May 2021 to the Color of Change PAC, which in the following weeks spent cash backing Bragg's candidacy. The timing of the money makes it likely it aided the efforts.

Soros' spokesperson, Michael Vachon, did not respond to a Fox News Digital's previous request for comment.

Soros has provided financial backing to dozens of far-left district attorney candidates, which he views as a significant component of overhauling the criminal justice system. Controversial DAs such as Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, Kim Foxx in Chicago, Kim Gardner in St. Louis, and George Gascón in Los Angeles have all received massive boosts from his money.

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Bragg's potential charges, which were still unknown as of Thursday evening, stem from an alleged $130,000 hush money payment then-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen made to Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.

Federal prosecutors in the U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump related to the Daniels payment in 2019, even as Cohen implicated him as part of his plea deal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.

Fox News Digital's Joe Silverstein and Brooke Singman contributed reporting.