Contact: press@protectandservetx.com
HOUSTON – September 18, 2023 – For years, billionaire megadonor George Soros has funded successful campaigns to elect radical district attorney candidates across the country who have not only failed to prosecute criminals, but have fundamentally transformed the criminal justice system to the detriment of public safety in major metro areas. Most recently, Soros’ Open Society Foundation partnered with an “Abolition School” that trains activists on how to ‘eradicate’ police departments.
While Houstonians and any citizens who care about keeping communities safe should be appalled by this trend in Soros, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee recently used her platform on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to praise Soros as a “patriot”:
“We have accusatory commentary of Soros’ DAs,” Jackson Lee said. “Let us not put an individual that is not here, a contributing American, and jeopardize his life by always throwing his name out in the most ugly of ways. I am offended by that. Mr. Soros does not deserve that. He is an American and a patriot.”
Protect and Serve Texas PAC spokesperson Donald Baker issued the following statement on Jackson Lee’s defense of one of the leading funders of dangerous anti-police movements in the United States:
“Congresswoman Jackson Lee has made clear she stands firmly on the side of the ‘Defund Police’ movement, and against efforts to restore sanity to our public safety and criminal justice systems. By not only defending, but effusively praising George Soros, one of the world’s most radical anti-police activists, on the dais of the House Judiciary Committee, Jackson Lee has signaled that a billionaire donor is more important than protecting the safety of Houstonians. Make no mistake – a Houston City Hall run by Sheila Jackson Lee would be aligned with the policy agenda of George Soros when it comes to ‘reprogramming’ funds away from the police department. Her comments are a slap in the face to all the brave men and women in law enforcement that work tirelessly to protect Houstonians.”
Soros has a long, documented track record of funding and promoting radical and anti-police candidates, groups, movements, and initiatives, including:
In 2015, Soros donated $1 million to “Safety and Justice” groups that helped elect radical district attorneys in Louisiana and Mississippi, one of whom was arrested and charged with improperly helping criminal defendants.
In 2018, Soros donated $275,000 to a successful district attorney candidate in Contra Costa County, California, which subsequently became home to some of the most dangerous cities in the state.
In 2018, Soros donated approximately $236,000 to Dallas County district attorney John Creuzot, who went on to decriminalize theft under $750 and oversaw a 15% increase in crime and 30% drop in total convictions during his first year in office.
In 2019, Soros donated approximately $600,000 the campaign of Fairfax County, Virginia district attorney Steve Descano, who made it his office’s official policy not to prosecute shoplifting for items less than $1,000, prostitution, and indecent exposure.
In 2020, Soros donated $2.25 million to elect district attorney George Gascón Los Angeles County District Attorney in Los Angeles County, which has since witnessed a 12% year-over-year spike in homicides, and more than $340,000 worth of smash-and-grab thefts, the perpetrators of which were bailed out or met no-bail criteria.
In 2020, Soros’ Texas Justice and Public Safety PAC paid for more than $400,000 worth of political ads to elect Travis County District Attorney José Garza, who released hundreds of inmates from jail, and even released a man with eight prior felony convictions who subsequently went on to commit 10 armed robberies. Garza also prosecuted Austin Police Department officers who worked to clear protesters blocking the Interstate 35 bridge during the 2020 riots. The City of Austin’s crime rate surpassed the city’s population growth in 2021.
In 2021, Soros’ Open Society Policy Center devoted $500,000 to an unsuccessful attempt to ‘dismantle and replace’ the Minneapolis Police Department.
In 2021, the Foundation to Promote Open Society donated $10.75 million toward the Communities Transforming Policing Fund (CTPF) to “shift power and resources away from punitive, reactive, and carceral responses to preventative, transformative community-based safety strategies.”
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Protect and Serve Texas is a political action committee (PAC) dedicated to supporting candidates across Texas who support public safety, back law enforcement and first responders, and work to decrease violent crime. Protect and Serve Texas also engages in ballot initiatives where support for law enforcement or first responders is on the ballot. Originally founded to counter the "Defund the Police" movement, Protect and Serve Texas PAC continues to advocate for the brave women and men in our state who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.
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