BreakThrough News, a U.S.-based pro-China media outlet recently subpoenaed by the House Ways and Means Committee, used the progressive news program Democracy Now! to defend itself against the congressional investigation.
During an interview on Democracy Now!, BreakThrough News presenter Rania Khalek characterized the subpoena as a "McCarthy-style attack" on journalism and free speech. She argued that lawmakers were attempting to "criminalize dissent and an independent press" because they were losing public arguments. Khalek encouraged viewers to support BreakThrough News financially as it contests the subpoenas.
The House Ways and Means Committee subpoenaed BreakThrough News, along with two other organizations, as part of an investigation into Singham's funding network and alleged foreign influence. The committee is examining whether nonprofit laws adequately protect against foreign influence and if Congress should strengthen these laws.
According to a Fox News Digital investigation cited by the committee, BreakThrough BT Media Inc., the parent organization of BreakThrough News, received approximately $1.1 million from Neville Roy Singham. The committee alleges that the Singham network channeled money through shell companies and donor-advised funds to obscure the original sources of the funding. The committee is specifically investigating about $39 million it states flowed to BreakThrough News, People's Forum Inc., and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research.
In her interview, Khalek contended that the committee was targeting BreakThrough News due to its political viewpoints, citing coverage of Israel and immigration enforcement as reasons. However, the House Ways and Means Committee stated in a cover letter accompanying the subpoenas that its inquiry concerns BreakThrough News' "financing arrangements and organizational structure," not its "speech, editorial positions, or political viewpoints."
Separately, IRS filings show that Democracy Now! paid approximately $2.5 million between 2019 and 2024 to ThoughtWorks, a software company founded by Singham, for software development services. Singham sold ThoughtWorks in 2017. Democracy Now! is not a target of the committee's investigation, and the committee has not suggested these payments are part of its inquiry.
Khalek expanded her warning during the interview, suggesting that if BreakThrough News is targeted, other outlets like Democracy Now! could face similar scrutiny. Supporters of BreakThrough News, including left-wing activists and organizations, have also portrayed the probe as an effort to suppress dissent rather than scrutinize the network's funding and alleged foreign influence.
Neville Roy Singham, an American who resides in Shanghai, has directed at least $278 million into six core nonprofits within a broader international network of media organizations, activist groups, and think tanks, according to previous reporting. Organizations within this network have reportedly participated in anti-ICE, anti-Israel, and pro-Iran demonstrations.
Separately, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York has initiated a grand jury investigation into alleged wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes related to Singham's funding network. This investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been announced.