The Oversight Challenge has submitted a proper Freedom of Info Act (FOIA) request to the Federal Bureau of Investigation looking for data on Marcus Raskin — a co-founder of the far-left Institute for Coverage Research (IPS) and father of radical Democrat Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD).
The request, filed by Michael Howell of the Oversight Challenge, focuses on Marcus Goodman Raskin’s in depth historical past of anti-American activism, left-wing organizing, and suspected ties to Soviet-backed communist networks throughout the Chilly Warfare.
Based on the FBI’s formal response dated April 17, 2025, the Bureau acknowledged it has “accomplished its overview of data topic to the FOIA” and directed the requestor to its digital FOIA Library, often called the Vault.
The letter indicated that whereas some data have already been launched publicly, “further data attentive to your request had been processed however are usually not presently out there on The Vault,” suggesting the FBI holds extra data on Raskin that will not but be absolutely disclosed.
The FBI additionally provided to conduct an additional search by way of its Central Information System if requested.
We’ve requested the @FBI to launch data concerning Jamie Raskin’s father, a suspected communist agent, and his group the Institute for Coverage Research
Individuals deserve the reality https://t.co/duXbvV6Tvx pic.twitter.com/KwEqb5SMrR
— Oversight Challenge (@ItsYourGov) April 30, 2025
Marcus Raskin, who handed away in 2017, was a distinguished determine in far-left educational and coverage circles.
In 1961, Raskin wormed his way into President John F. Kennedy’s Nationwide Safety Council, serving below McGeorge Bundy on nationwide safety and disarmament points.
He even represented the U.S. at a 1962 disarmament convention in Geneva. However cracks quickly appeared. His radical views clashed with Bundy, resulting in his ouster to the Bureau of the Finances and eventual exit in 1963.
After leaving authorities, Raskin co-founded the Institute for Policy Studies in 1963 with Richard Barnet, making a so-called “suppose tank” that turned a breeding floor for anti-American sentiment.
IPS rapidly changed into a hub for Marxist ideology, anti-capitalist schemes, and radical activism. Raskin’s imaginative and prescient was to finish overhaul of America’s democratic system right into a socialist utopia, as outlined in his 1971 book Being & Doing, the place he pushed for “social reconstruction” to dismantle capitalism.
In 1968, he was indicted as a part of the “Boston Five” for conspiring to assist younger males evade the draft—treasonous habits cloaked as “peace activism.” Although acquitted, his fingerprints had been all around the anti-war motion that emboldened our enemies.
Most damning are Raskin’s suspected ties to Soviet-backed communist networks throughout the Chilly Warfare. In 1982, he led an IPS delegation to Moscow, assembly Soviet officers tied to disinformation and propaganda.
The journey, which included discussions of disarmament and a possible Brezhnev summit, raised purple flags. Twelve U.S. senators and 70 House members warned that the Soviets may exploit such visits for intelligence functions.
Raskin’s rap sheet doesn’t finish there. He was linked to the Folks’s Coalition for Peace and Justice, a bunch tied to the Communist Occasion USA, and met North Vietnamese leaders in Paris in 1972.
The FBI infiltrated IPS with more than 70 informants, wiretapping its telephones, and looking out by way of its rubbish. The Nixon administration positioned Barnet and Raskin on its ‘enemies listing.’”
In 1974, IPS sued the FBI over the alleged improper monitoring, and each events agreed to a settlement in 1979. Whereas the FBI admitted no wrongdoing, it agreed to pay the institute’s authorized bills and stipulated that it could not examine IPS with out correct authorized authority or disclose beforehand collected materials besides below particular circumstances .
