Southern Poverty Law Center Chair Put on Defensive During Heated Congressional Hearing
The Justice Department says the group hid the program from donors and diverted $4.1 million through shell companies to pay informants.
- Southern Poverty Law Center interim president Bryan Fair faced tough questioning from Republican lawmakers on Tuesday regarding the organization's former informant program as the group navigates criminal charges over alleged misuse of donor funds.
- Prosecutors allege the SPLC diverted $4.1 million from 2010 to 2023 through shell companies to pay informants infiltrating the KKK, Aryan Nations, and National Socialist Movement. The indictment claims one informant had a romantic relationship with an SPLC employee overseeing payments.
- Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman pressed Fair on program details, countering his denial with "Except the $4.1 million that you gave to the KKK, the National Socialist Movement, and the Aryan Nations." Fair responded those are "allegations that will be addressed in the criminal case."
- Democrats defended the SPLC, alleging Attorney General Todd Blanche brought the case at President Donald Trump's behest. Democratic Rep. Deborah Ross called the move "weaponized" to "silence dissent" during Blanche's attorney general audition.
- Fair testified the SPLC halted the program because extremism migrated online and into government agencies, asserting "we did not lie to our donors." The organization pleaded not guilty last month in Alabama federal court to wire fraud and money laundering charges.
27 Articles
27 Articles
House committee presses Southern Poverty Law Center on absence of Islamist, anti-Israel groups from Hate Map
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) criticized the Southern Poverty Law Center during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on Tuesday for not listing Islamist or leftist anti-Israel groups on its website's "Hate Map.""How many leftist anti-Jewish groups do you have listed on your website?" Roy asked Bryan Fair, the SPLC's interim president and CEO. "Name them."Fair instead pointed to the SPLC's 2025 Hate and Extremism Report, released on Tuesda…
Rep. Jim Jordan grills Southern Poverty Law Center chief on federal fraud charges
WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan grilled the head of the Southern Poverty Law Center Tuesday about federal fraud allegations against the civil rights organization, while Democrats fired back that the Trump administration was weaponizing the Justice Department against one of the country’s most prominent anti-hate groups.
Southern Poverty Law Center chair put on defensive during heated congressional hearing: ‘We don’t fund hate groups’
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s interim president and CEO faced tough questions from Republican lawmakers during a hearing Tuesday over the organization’s former program of running informants in racist groups.
Southern Poverty Law Center Probed By House Judiciary Committee
The House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing entitled, "The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate, Part II." Stay Connected Forbes Breaking News on X: https:///ForbesTVNews Forbes Breaking News on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forbestvnews More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
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