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A member of #DOGE last week emailed the #Vera Institute of Justice — an independent #nonprofit organization that advocates for lower incarceration rates — to schedule a meeting about “getting a DOGE team assigned to the organization,” acc/to a copy of the email that was reviewed by WaPo.

“If I do not hear from you, I will assume you do not plan to comply with the President’s #ExecutiveOrder,” said the email from DOGE rep Nate Cavanaugh….

It was unclear how many groups #DOGE aims to be involved in, but working w/more groups could represent a dramatic expansion of DOGE’s influence in the admin’s operations.…

Based on a transcript of the meeting prepared by the institute, DOGE reps seemed unaware that #Vera Institute recently lost its #FederalGrants & of how #nonprofit groups that receive grants operate differently from govt entities that have independence from the executive branch.

At the meeting Tues, #Vera Institute leaders said the #DOJ this month revoked $5M in #FederalGrants that the institute was receiving to develop programs related to reducing recidivism rates & supporting victims of violent crimes, acc/to Nick Turner, head of the Vera Institute.

When #DOGE members learned that the institute was no longer receiving federal funds, they started to wrap up the meeting, realizing it was no longer necessary.

…Acc/to #Vera reps, a man who identified himself as Cavanaugh said on the call that #DOGE wants to have teams assigned to every org that receives federal funds through congressional appropriations. He did not specify if this included all organizations that received federal grants.

He said DOGE would work w/leadership at these groups to better understand their operations.

A spox for DOGE said the meeting was in keeping w/ #Trump’s #ExecutiveOrder that established DOGE. [again, umm, no.]

Acc/to a transcript of the call provided by #Vera, Cavanaugh referenced the US Institute of Peace as an example of #DOGE assigning a team to an independent nonprofit. Last month DOGE took over & shut down #USIP, a 40-yr-old institution founded & funded by Congress that employs ~600 people in DC & abroad. USIP operates differently than Vera & other #nonprofits, which were NOT established by Congress & receive their funding from grants & #private donors.

A #Vera Institute attorney then asked on the call what #legal authority #DOGE had to demand involvement with an independent, #nonprofit org, acc/to the transcript. The DOGE employees reportedly responded that there was no point in getting into details since the #DOJ already terminated Vera’s grants.

@Nonilex
They will come after the Episcopal Church next.