Trump Administration Sues Southern Poverty Law Center Over Fraud Allegations

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been indicted on federal fraud charges by the Department of Justice. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche alleges that the civil rights organization improperly used donations to fund informants who infiltrated far-right groups, including the Ku Klux Klan and the National Socialist Party of America.

According to the indictment, the SPLC paid at least $3 million between 2014 and 2023 to individuals affiliated with these groups. The Justice Department claims that this funding was used to support the ideology being opposed by the organization. Blanche stated that the SPLC “manufactured” extremism by paying sources to promote racial hatred.

The SPLC faces charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The case was brought in Alabama, where the organization is based. The indictment comes after the SPLC revealed a criminal investigation into its informant program, which aimed to monitor threats of violence.

SPLC CEO Bryan Fair stated that the organization will “vigorously defend” itself and its work. Blanche noted that the money was transferred through two bank accounts before being loaded onto prepaid cards for distribution to far-right group members. The SPLC did not disclose details of the informant program to donors, according to Blanche.

The indictment includes information about at least nine unnamed informants who received payments from the SPLC through a secret program that allegedly began in the 1980s. One informant was paid over $1 million between 2014 and 2023 while affiliated with the National Alliance. The SPLC claimed the program was kept confidential to protect informant safety.

The organization, founded in 1971, has used civil litigation to combat white supremacist groups. The investigation raises concerns about potential politicization of the Justice Department, following other investigations into Trump foes.

Source: Al Jazeera