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BreakThrough News, a U.S.-based media organization aligned with pro-China positions, mounted a public defense on Democracy Now! after being subpoenaed by the House Ways and Means Committee in connection with a probe of funding networks tied to tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham. The outlet characterized the investigation as an assault on press freedom rather than the committee’s stated focus on funding sources and potential foreign influence.
During an appearance on the progressive news program, BreakThrough News presenter Rania Khalek equated the subpoenas to McCarthyism and attacked lawmakers for what she called an attempt to criminalize dissent. Khalek urged supporters to financially back the organization as it contests the subpoenas, arguing that investigators were targeting the outlet because of its editorial positions on Israel and immigration enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The House Ways and Means Committee rejected such First Amendment arguments in its cover letter accompanying the subpoenas, stating the investigation focuses on BreakThrough News’ financing structures and organizational arrangements rather than its speech or political views. The committee is seeking internal communications, financial records and related documents as part of its broader examination of the Singham network.
BreakThrough News and two other organizations face scrutiny over approximately $39 million in funding allegedly connected to Singham’s network. According to prior reporting, BreakThrough BT Media Inc., the parent entity of BreakThrough News, received roughly $1.1 million from Singham, a 72-year-old American who sold software company ThoughtWorks for an estimated $785 million in 2017 and now resides in Shanghai.
Democracy Now!, the platform hosting Khalek’s defense, is not under investigation by the House committee. However, IRS filings show the outlet paid approximately $2.5 million between 2019 and 2024 to ThoughtWorks for software development services. The House committee has not indicated those payments are part of its inquiry.
The investigation also targets People’s Forum Inc., a New York-based activist organization, and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, which identifies itself as working within “national liberation Marxism.” BreakThrough News operates from People’s Forum’s Manhattan address on West 37th Street.
Committee allegations assert that Singham’s network obscured funding sources by routing money through shell companies and donor-advised funds. The committee is examining whether existing nonprofit laws adequately prevent foreign influence and whether Congress should enact stricter protections.
Left-wing activists including Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin have publicly characterized the probe as a suppression of dissent and independent journalism. Benjamin, who appeared on the same Democracy Now! broadcast, co-founded CodePink with Jodie Evans, who married Singham in 2017.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York has separately opened a grand jury investigation into alleged wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and other financial crimes involving Singham’s funding network. According to previous reporting, Singham has directed at least $278 million into six core nonprofits within a broader international network of media organizations, activist groups and think tanks.
Khalek expanded her criticism during the interview, arguing that Republicans were resorting to accusations of foreign involvement because they lacked substantive policy arguments. She warned that if the investigation succeeded against BreakThrough News, Democracy Now! and other outlets could face similar scrutiny, though she did not directly address the committee’s specific questions regarding financing and organizational structure.
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