George Soros, 92, has heard it all from conspiracy theorists.
The legendary investor, who is however little present in the media, is accused, falsely and without evidence, of being the mastermind of almost all the crises that shake the planet.
The debt crisis in the euro zone? Blame it on Soros, conspiracy theorists say. Immigration crisis? Blame it on Soros, they argue. The rise of progressive values? Blame it on Soros. When Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, he blamed Soros for stealing his victory. These attacks against the billionaire are considered anti-Semitic. George Soros is Jewish of Hungarian origin.
For a few weeks now, the financier has again been in the court of conspiracy theorists. There is no doubt about the verdict: he will be found guilty. The case in question is the one brought against him by the entire American right. Without evidence, they accuse Soros of being the instigator of the indictment of Donald Trump, the first former president to be arrested in U.S. history.
The Indictment
Trump was arraigned on Apr. 4. He was accused by Manhattan prosecutors of orchestrating a hush-money scheme to help pave his path to the presidency and then covering it up while he was in the White House.
He was indicted on 34 felony counts and had to appear in a Manhattan courtroom. Trump pleaded not guilty in the case.
For the former president, who is running in the 2024 presidential election, it is a setup by Soros, who "handpicked and funded" the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, his executioner.
"After spending $1 million to elect the prosecutor who indicted President Trump, George Soros just spent another $1 MILLION to successfully BUY a judge in an election on Tuesday night," the Trump campaign wrote in an email sent to supporters on Apr. 6. "George Soros is trying to single-handedly purchase America’s justice system so that he can weaponize it to crush ALL of his opposition."
The email aims to raise money. The campaign says it has already raised over $13 million since the indictment was announced.
"We can’t stop now. Soros is going on a RAMPAGE, buying up America’s entire legal system – and YOU are our nation’s only hope of defending real justice in America," the email urged.
Soros, who is a major donor to the Democratic Party, has already firmly rejected these accusations.
"George Soros has never met, spoken with, or otherwise communicated with Alvin Bragg," Michael Vachon, a spokesperson said on Apr. 4 in an email. "Neither George Soros nor Democracy PAC (a PAC to which Mr. Soros has contributed funds) contributed to Alvin Bragg’s campaign for Manhattan District Attorney."
The link between Soros and Bragg is indirect: Between 2016 and 2022, the legendary investor personally and the Democracy PAC have collectively contributed roughly $4 million to Color of Change’s PAC, including $1 million in May 2021, according to Vachon.
"None of those funds were earmarked for Bragg’s campaign," the spokesperson asserted.
The Color of Change PAC spent $500,000 on Bragg's 2021 election campaign.
'His Son Is de Facto in Charge'
But a new line of attack against Soros has just been initiated by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of Twitter. This new strategy is to claim that Soros, who has five children -- sons Alexander, Jonathan, Robert, Gregory, and daughter Andrea -- is in fact no longer calling the shots. He no longer makes decisions. Basically, he doesn't really know where his money is going because a son of his has become the new boss in the place of his father. This is what Musk claims, without giving any evidence.
It all started with a Twitter thread in which Scott Adams, the creator of the classic comic strip "Dilbert', wondered whether George Soros knows where his money is going.
"My hypothesis about Soros is that he is not fully aware of where his money goes or why," Adams wrote on Apr. 9.
"I am told that his son is de facto in charge," Musk asserted.
While Musk isn't clear about which of the four sons he is referring to, several clues point to Alexander, 39. Alexander is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), his father's foundation which funds many progressive causes and NGOs worldwide. OSF, a network of entities with interconnected operations across the globe, has set itself the goal of promoting democracy, human rights and press freedom. It is one of the world's richest foundations, along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which allots billions to promote public health and development.
On Apr. 8, the New York Post and Fox News, both of which belong to Rupert Murdoch's media empire, reported that Alexander Soros "has quietly become a de-facto White House 'ambassador,' making at least 14 visits there on behalf of the far-left kingmaker since President Joe Biden took office."
Musk commented on the stories wielding irony on Apr. 9.
"And they still haven’t invited me 😭" the billionaire chimed in.
Musk voted Republican in the midterm elections. He decided to make Twitter, which he became the owner on October 27 after paying $44 billion, a bastion of conservatives.
"Which moves the question to his son’s motivation. Why would the son of Soros want to make America unlivable?" Adams asked.
"Beats me. Some amount of ivory tower pseudointellectualism is probably to blame," Musk responded, thus launching a scathing criticism of Alexander Soros.
Father and son work together, Vachon told TheStreet.
"Alex Soros is the chair of OSF board; George is the founder. They work together," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Musk also agreed with a Twitter user complaining that criticism often leveled at Soros is seen as tinged with anti-Semitism.
"The entire situation is bizarre. I frankly wouldn't mind Soros as much if he didn't have apologists labeling all his critics 'racists' for daring to notice his role in elections," the user said.
"True," the tech mogul agreed.
