By The Daily Caller (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-27 21:41:42 | Updated at 2026-08-10 15:10:03
1 week ago
The Quincy Institute (QI), an anti-interventionist think tank based in Washington, D.C., fired back at criticism from several prominent pro-Israel commentators on the right..
The latest campaign to discredit QI appeared to gain steam Sunday after conservative influencer Will Chamberlain pointed out that QI CEO Lora Lumpe previously worked on foreign policy at the Open Society Foundations, which was founded by billionaire Democratic donor George Soros in 1993. Chamberlain also noted that the Open Society Foundations and the Charles Koch Foundation each contributed $500,000 to QI before its November 2019 launch. (RELATED: Swamp’s Military-Industrial Complex Merger With Israel Inches Closer To Becoming Reality)
Chamberlain called for a “full federal investigation into the Quincy Institute and its funding” while responding to a separate post from pro-Israel commentator Marina Medvin.
There needs to be a full federal investigation into the Quincy Institute and its funding https://t.co/tvLVFPSALO
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) July 26, 2026“The Quincy Institute (QI) is an American think tank which proudly advocates for a foreign policy that puts Americans’ best interests first,” Alex Jordan, Deputy Communications Director at QI, told the Daily Caller.
“The latest set of baseless attacks against QI are nothing more than an attempt to distract from our team’s highly effective research and reporting on ongoing legislative efforts to integrate the US and Israel’s military-industrial sectors, which would make the US-Israel military relationship simultaneously less transparent, less accountable, and harder to unwind,” Jordan added.
Posts from Chamberlain, Emily Schrader, and Eitan Fischberger triggered a wave of attacks from the pro-Israel commentators, including one from Washington Post columnist, Fox News contributor and American Enterprise Institute fellow Marc Thiessen.
Thiessen referred to QI as “The Quisling Institute,” an apparent reference to Vidkun Quisling, the Norwegian politician who headed a Nazi collaborationist government during World War II.
The Quisling Institute is a Soros op https://t.co/93yMYVRchA
— Marc Thiessen (@marcthiessen) July 26, 2026The smear campaign follows QI’s extensive reporting on the rise of Israeli influence on American politics, including former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale’s work as a registered foreign agent for Israel and congressional efforts to integrate the American military-industrial complex with the Israeli national security state.
In June, a raft of Israel First and MAGA influencers, including Laura Loomer, called for QI Executive Vice President Trita Parsi to be deported. The campaign heated up after a Free Press report quoted anonymous U.S. officials claiming the Trump State Department was hatching a plan to investigate and deport him. Parsi is a legal U.S. Permanent Resident, with dual Iranian and Swedish citizenships.
“I have fought the neocons and warmongers in Washington for more than 25 years. Throughout, they have tried to silence, discredit, slander, and cancel me,” Parsi responded in June. “Only recently, however, have they tried to deport me.”
I have fought the neocons and warmongers in Washington for more than 25 years. Throughout, they have tried to silence, discredit, slander, and cancel me. Only recently, however, have they tried to deport me.
At least, that appears to have been the aim of a hit piece in Bari… pic.twitter.com/SbhNJ6XdDH
“I don’t believe there was any investigation against me,” Parsi continued. “Rather, some elements within the State Department wanted to start one and thought external pressure could help move things forward. I say ‘additional’ because for weeks, pro-Israel social media influencers had been urging the U.S. government to deport me, while some activists — or intelligence operators — even produced an AI-generated video of me being arrested by ICE.”
A day after The Free Press published its story, a U.S. official confirmed with a Turkish media outlet that the State Department had “no plans to revoke the green card of Mr. Parsi at this time,” but warned that the administration would “unapologetically terminate the legal status of any foreign national who participates in activities that undermine America’s national security.”
Jordan told the Caller that despite the repeated attacks, QI remains committed to advocating for a non-interventionist foreign policy through research and reporting.
“These smears will not distract us from our vital work,” he said.
