The Quincy Institute (QI), an anti-interventionist think tank based in Washington, D.C., has pushed back against criticism from prominent pro-Israel commentators on the right. The dispute intensified after conservative influencer Will Chamberlain highlighted that QI CEO Lora Lumpe previously worked on foreign policy at the Open Society Foundations, founded by billionaire Democratic donor George Soros in 1993. Chamberlain also noted that both the Open Society Foundations and the Charles Koch Foundation contributed $500,000 each to QI before its November 2019 launch.

Chamberlain called for a “full federal investigation into the Quincy Institute and its funding” in response to posts from pro-Israel commentator Marina Medvin. This wave of criticism included attacks from figures such as Washington Post columnist and Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen, who referred to QI as “The Quisling Institute,” referencing Vidkun Quisling, the Norwegian Nazi collaborator during World War II.

Alex Jordan, Deputy Communications Director at QI, told the Daily Caller, “The Quincy Institute (QI) is an American think tank which proudly advocates for a foreign policy that puts Americans’ best interests first.” Jordan added that the attacks are attempts to distract from QI’s research on legislative efforts to integrate the U.S. and Israel’s military-industrial sectors, which he said would reduce transparency and accountability in the U.S.-Israel military relationship.

One individual involved in the controversy stated, “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.”

The dispute highlights ongoing tensions over foreign policy advocacy and the influence of funding sources on think tank activities.

Sources