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The DOJ has indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on federal fraud charges.
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Tuesday (April 21) during a White House news conference that the civil rights group allegedly raised millions of dollars to pay informants to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and other far-right groups, according to NBC News.
The organization faces 11 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, among others.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center’s ('SPLC') stated mission included the dismantling of white supremacy and confronting hate across the country. However, unbeknownst to donors, some of their donated money was being used to fund the leaders and organizers of racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, and the National Alliance,” a segment of the 14-page indictment reads.
Blanche explained that an investigation by the DOJ found the SLPC had been “manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred.” He further claimed that the investigation has “been going on for a long time,” before being “shut down” by the Biden administration.
FBI Director Kash Patel also spoke at the conference, adding that SPLC allegedly attempted to hide these payments via a series of fictitious shell companies.
Bryan Fair, interim chief executive of the SPLC, said in a statement that the organization is reviewing the charges and is “outraged by the false allegations. ”He also addressed the allegations in a YouTube video on Wednesday (April 22), alleging that the group was being “targeted” by the Trump administration.
“Taking on violent hate and extremist groups is among the most dangerous work there is, and we believe it is also among the most important work we do,” Fair said. “The actions by the DOJ will not shake our resolve to fight for justice and ensure the promise of the Civil Rights movement becomes a reality for all.”
Kelly Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), called the accusations by the DOJ a “dangerous weaponization of government against civil rights organizations” in a statement released Tuesday, and claimed their actions should “deeply concern” every American, regardless of party.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center has spent decades protecting Americans from fascism and white supremacy and ensuring we can all live our lives free from discrimination and hate,” she wrote. “It’s thus not surprising that they are now the target of the Trump administration and its politicized Department of Justice, which stands for everything the SPLC fights against.”
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