With the Trump administration pledging to crack down on the “radical left,” climate activists are worried they’ll be among the administration’s targets.
The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate organization, sent an email to supporters Monday with a subject line saying: “Trump is coming after progressive organizations.” The fundraising missive urges the group’s supporters to donate to help “ensure Sunrise stays strong no matter what Trump throws our way.”
Sunrise is one of many progressive advocacy groups on edge over concerns that they’ll be targeted by the administration’s policies. Trump officials have pledged a sweeping crackdown on nonprofits and other organizations they say are fueling violent protests. The administration’s critics see the moves as an attempt to silence its opponents.
Fueling Sunrise’s concerns is recent New York Times reporting that the Trump administration directed U.S. attorney’s offices to draft plans to investigate the Open Society Foundations, a philanthropic group funded by Democratic donor George Soros. The Times also reported that a Justice Department directive encouraging prosecutors to investigate the Soros-backed group cited a report by the conservative Capital Research Center.
