It Wasn't Me: Soros Denies Causing US Violent Crime Spike While Pursuing Defunding Police Initiative

The 91-year-old billionaire philanthropist has been discreetly funding a revolution in criminal justice reform for the past few years, giving tens of millions of dollars to progressive candidates in district attorney contests around the nation as movements to eliminate bail and defund the police rage on.

Liberal billionaire George Soros denied claims that his long campaign to elect liberal prosecutors has caused crime waves in some of the biggest cities in America.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published on Sunday, Soros recognized that crime was rising nationwide, but he claimed it couldn't be traced to the liberal prosecutors' tactics, in whose election he has reportedly spent more than $40 million over the past ten years.

"Some politicians and pundits have tried to blame recent spikes in crime on the policies of reform-minded prosecutors," Soros wrote. "The research I’ve seen says otherwise. The most rigorous academic study, analyzing data across 35 jurisdictions, shows no connection between the election of reform-minded prosecutors and local crime rates."

Soros made no mention of the study or research in question. According to American media reports, prosecutors who get funding from Soros have lobbied for changes to the criminal justice system, including banning cash bail and ceasing to prosecute minor offenses.

He argued the US spends $81 billion a year to keep about two million people incarcerated. And that is exactly why, in his opinion, the nation should invest more in crime prevention, "with strategies that work—deploying mental health professionals in crisis situations, investing in youth job programs, and creating opportunities for education behind bars."

"This reduces the likelihood that those prisoners will commit new crimes after release," Soros claimed.

According to the financier, violent crime has increased more rapidly in "some Republican states led by tough-on-crime politicians" and in places without "reform-minded prosecutors."

"Serious scholars researching causes behind the recent increase in crime have pointed to other factors: a disturbing rise in mental illness among young people due to the isolation imposed by Covid lockdowns, a pullback in policing in the wake of public criminal justice reform protests, and increases in gun trafficking," he argued. "Many of the same people who call for more punitive criminal justice policies also support looser gun laws."

Soros further stated he has no plans to scale back his financial support for leftist prosecutors.

"In recent years, reform-minded prosecutors and other law enforcement officials around the country have been coalescing around an agenda that promises to be more effective and just," the billionaire offered. "This agenda includes prioritizing the resources of the criminal justice system to protect people against violent crime. It urges that we treat drug addiction as a disease, not a crime. And it seeks to end the criminalization of poverty and mental illness."

The businessman emphasized his agenda, which promotes "both safety and justice," stands upon "both common sense and evidence."

"It’s popular. It’s effective. The goal is not defunding the police but restoring trust between the police and the policed, a partnership that fosters the solving of crimes," Soros claimed. "The funds I provide enable sensible reform-minded candidates to receive a hearing from the public. Judging by the results, the public likes what it’s hearing."

However, some US outlets have refuted Soros' assertions of the beneficial effects of his investment. According to the Washington Examiner, numerous prosecutors backed by the billionaire have presided over major crime waves and have lost the respect of their constituents.

Furthermore, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon reportedly experienced a 46% rise in killings during his first year in office despite receiving $4.7 million from a Soros-funded political action organization. Due to his lowering of offenses and decision to not prosecute the majority of gun and drug crimes, Gascon is currently in danger of being recalled.

Under District Attorney Larry Krasner, who received $1.6 million from Soros in 2017, murders in Philadelphia reportedly reached new levels in 2021.