Trump and his cronies will look to attack unfavorable non-profits, watchdog warns

President-elect Donald Trump and his GOP colleagues are set to take aim at progressive non-profits they view as unfriendly, a watchdog has warned.

Trump and his Republican allies could utilize the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service to conduct politically motivated investigations and enact laws to limit their work, according to Adrienne Watson, a former White House and Democratic National Committee spokesperson at the Congressional Integrity Project.

She told The Guardian that the president-elect “has made it clear that he plans to use his second term to attack the progressive ecosystem and his perceived enemies.”

“This is a worrying progression of Trump’s authoritarianism that would undermine our democracy,” she added.

The group said Wednesday that it will work against such measures with a new effort to defend progressive groups and individuals.

Watson is set to lead the Civic Defense Project amid concerns that a second Trump term would usher in policies outlined in Project 2025, a rightwing blueprint for a new Republican administration. The plans include efforts to go after non-profits, researchers, and civil society groups that have taken aim at election denial claims.

Advocates argue that the danger of these new efforts isn’t just because of prospective political probes but also the use of agencies like the IRS and the Department of Justice to look into, prosecute, and possibly close down, organizations that work against the policies of the new administration.

The president-elect has nominated people to a number of important roles who have, in the past, targeted non-profits with whom they disagree. These include IRS commissioner nominee Billy Long and attorney general nominee Pam Bondi. FBI director nominee Kash Patel has said that he will “come after” media outlets and non-profit groups that he claims aided President Joe Biden to “rig” elections.

Republicans in Congress have taken aim at non-profits such as charities, universities, and advocacy groups, according to the Congressional Integrity Project. Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has argued that the Department of Justice should close down groups supporting protests that include civil disobedience, while Vice President-elect J.D. Vance has put forward legislation to remove federal support and put in place a 50 percent excise tax on universities that don’t stop students from protesting.

Republicans have also said that they will continue their investigations into Biden and his family even as previous efforts found no proof of misconduct. Barry Loudermilk, the chair of the House Administration subcommittee, is arguing for a new panel to investigate the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and the following select committee investigating the attack on Congress.

“Donald Trump and his Maga allies have spent the last month signaling their intentions to use their newfound positions of power to persecute their political enemies,” Watson told The Guardian. “Congressional Integrity Project is proud to launch our new program to defend the individuals and progressive infrastructure from these baseless attacks while continuing the vital work of holding those who abuse their positions accountable.”

Last month, the House passed legislation that would hand the treasury department the power to remove tax-exempt status from non-profit organizations that it says backs terrorism, with critics arguing that this law could be used to go after groups the administration disagrees with.