Soros family quietly bankrolls committees supporting 'defund the police' candidates

Liberal billionaire George Soros and his daughter, Andrea Soros Colombel, are bankrolling two entities that are supporting far-left politicians who back defunding the police, a Fox News Digital review of campaign finance records found.  

The Soros money has flowed to a joint fundraising committee and a PAC attached to the efforts. The joint fundraising venture, called Lead the Way 2022, includes the Way to Lead PAC, Missouri Rep. Cori Bush's campaign committee, and the campaigns of the 12 other progressive politicians attempting to enter Congress.

George Soros has long supported overhauling the criminal justice system. The financier has poured tens of millions into district attorney races and has dished out large sums to groups focused on police reform efforts, including financing a hub used by progressive activists pushing to dismantle the police.

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Andrea Soros Colombel, meanwhile, has kept a lower profile than her father. Despite this, she is propping up the current joint fundraising committee benefiting Bush and the other far-left politicians for the 2022 elections.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Andrea Soros Colombel has shelled out $100,000 to Lead the Way 2022, the joint fundraising effort that includes the Way to Lead PAC and the campaigns of the progressive candidates.

George Soros has separately pushed cash into the Way to Lead PAC, which is attached to the joint fundraising effort. The financier moved $100,000 from his Democracy PAC over to the Way to Lead's non-contribution account, which can be used on advertisements supporting or opposing candidates. 

The funds from Andrea and George Soros put them among Lead the Way 2022's and Way to Lead's top respective backers for the 2022 elections.

Those two entities, in turn, are supporting Bush and the progressive hopefuls as they look to expand the "Squads" ranks within Congress.

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Lead the Way 2022 has transferred nearly $40,000 into Bush's campaign coffers this cycle, the filings show. The Missouri Democrat has been an outspoken proponent of police defunding. 

It has also disbursed money to the others in the collaborative fundraising venture, many of whom also back defunding the police.

Rana Abdelhamid, who is running in New York's 12th congressional district,  has received $28,000 from Lead the Way 2022. Abdelhamid has called defunding law enforcement a feminist "priority" in now-deleted Instagram posts. 

"Intimate Partner Violence is up to 4x higher in homes of cops than the general population," she wrote in a graphic, citing the National Center for Women and Policing. Another graphic in the post encouraged readers to donate to "Defund the Police Efforts."

Kina Collins, a candidate in Illinois' 7th district, was also provided $28,000 by Lead the Way 2022. Collins participated in a defund the police rally and has called for the abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

Odessa Kelly, attempting to win a House seat in Tennessee's 7th district, was given nearly $41,000 from Lead the Way 2022. Kelly signaled her support for defunding the police in an interview with Our Data Bodies.  

"Some of the groups out here who one hundred percent push the protection of our communities and are leading the defund-the-police charge and all those things. I’m on board with you," Odessa said during the interview.

The three progressive candidates have likewise received a cash infusion from the Lead the Way PAC. The PAC pushed $2,900 checks to the Abdelhamid, Collins and Odessa campaigns, the filings show. 

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George Soros' spokesperson Michael Vachon, who also acts as treasurer of Soros' Democracy PAC, did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Andrea Soros also did not respond to a request for comment. 

George Soros has made targeting the criminal justice system a focal point of his efforts in recent years. 

The deep-pocketed funder has pushed nearly $30 million into district attorney races across the country, often entering Democratic primaries and backing the most progressive candidate in the field. 

One of those candidates, Aramis Ayala, who was the state attorney for Orange and Osceola counties in Florida, received $1.4 million in Soros funding for her race. 

For a brief period this election cycle, Ayala sought a House seat in Florida's 10th congressional district and was previously included in the Way to Lead 2022 joint fundraiser. She received nearly $29,000 from the joint committee late last year. She also received a $2,900 contribution from the Lead the Way PAC. 

Ayala is now running for attorney general of Florida in the Democratic primary.

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Soros has funded groups backing police reforms from his Open Society Foundations, including $4.5 million to a dark money hub used by far-left activists pushing to dismantle the police, Fox News reported. 

Andrea Soros Colombel sits on the global and United States boards of the Open Society Foundations. 

The Open Society Foundations also devoted $220 million in 2020 to a racial equality push, which included $70 million for local efforts geared toward criminal justice reform.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect Aramis Ayala is now running for attorney general of Florida. 

Fox News' Houston Keene contributed reporting.