European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stirred controversy over her proposal for a “Defense of Democracy package” — in fact, the package’s formal unveiling has just been indefinitely postponed. What’s the source of the pushback? The initiative’s core proposals entail reporting requirements on institutions that garner funding from third-country donors. Oddly, civil society organizations have said that this legal framework amounts to a “smear.” The Commission has lapsed in its judgement, they argue, by promulgating legislation implying they are, one and all, “potential trojan horses for foreign governments.” Specifically, these self-professed watchdogs against state-sponsored abuse have rallied...