Politically Motivated Attacks

Beginning in 2014, a handful of groups with a political agenda have impeded the valuable work of nonprofit organizations through lawsuits, deplatforming campaigns, challenges to organizations’ tax-exempt status, and other means. Although these groups claim their actions are aimed at strengthening security, they stand in the way of the nonprofits’ legitimate work. At the center of these campaigns is disinformation about the work and reputations of nonprofits, disguised as “research,” which is used to exploit legitimate counterterrorism and whistleblower laws

This is the latest chapter in the use of disinformation to delegitimize charitable work. For several years, disinformation on nonprofits has been given an audience on Capitol Hill, and this sham “research” has even made its way into commercial tools commonly used by financial institutions to screen customers and potential customers.