House Ways and Means chairman probes tax-exempt group’s alleged CCP ties

FIRST ON FOX: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith is demanding records from The People’s Forum, a tax-exempt nonprofit he says has operated as a de facto foreign agent for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while using U.S. taxpayer benefits to fund protests and spread propaganda.

In a letter sent September 4 to Executive Director Manolo De Los Santos, Smith accused The People’s Forum of directly inciting violence and unrest across the United States.

“Using U.S. taxpayer-subsidized tax-exempt status to promote foreign propaganda on behalf of a nation hostile to U.S. interests, while simultaneously justifying terrorism, is unacceptable and potentially in violation of U.S. law,” Smith told Digital in a statement. “The American people deserve transparency, and this Committee will hold The People’s Forum accountable for its ties to the CCP and its role in spreading violence and chaos in our communities.”

Within hours of Hamas’ October 7 massacre in Israel, Smith claims the group publicly justified the terrorist attacks, declaring that the perpetrators “have the right to resist”—a statement condemned by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul as “abhorrent and morally repugnant.”

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Smith is now demanding that The People’s Forum turn over by September 18 a broad set of records, including donor lists, contracts, and communications with Singham and other foreign principals. If the group refuses, it could face subpoenas, depositions, referrals to the IRS for revocation of tax-exempt status, and possible criminal referrals to the Justice Department. 

The group also organized a Times Square rally the following day that drew national criticism. Beyond its stance on Israel, Smith said the nonprofit played a role in inciting riots and disruptive protests at college campuses, as well as violent demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including in Los Angeles where clashes with law enforcement resulted in dozens of arrests.

Beyond its stance on Israel, Smith said the nonprofit has played a role in inciting riots and disruptive protests. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Smith also pointed to The People’s Forum’s role in promoting pro-CCP narratives. The group has hosted events glorifying the Chinese revolution, partnered with Beijing-aligned collectives such as the Qiao Collective, and maintained close ties to media outlets within former tech mogul Neville Roy Singham’s pro-China influence network.

Public reporting suggests The People’s Forum has accepted $20 million from Singham and his wife Jodie Evans, the founder of Code Pink, from 2017 to 2022, routed through shell companies and donor-advised funds, according to Smith’s letter. 

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Smith’s letter notes that The People’s Forum admitted to receiving money from Singham, a wealthy American expatriate now living in Shanghai with longstanding CCP ties.

Smith argued that this financial structure, paired with the nonprofit’s activities, amounts to operating as an unregistered agent of a foreign power under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

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The chairman warned that using the privileges of tax-exempt status to spread foreign propaganda while acting as a foreign agent is “unacceptable and illegal.” He cited precedents in which the Justice Department indicted foreign nationals for similar influence operations using nonprofits as fronts. 

FBI records attached to the letter show Singham was investigated as early as the 1970s for ties to groups “inimical to U.S. interests,” while later working as a consultant for Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant with documented CCP links.

The People’s Forum did not respond to a request for comment.