SPLC Indicted as Trump Administration Expands Legal Pressure on Nonprofits

On Thursday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) entered a not-guilty plea to a federal indictment accusing the nonprofit of using its informant program to channel donor money to extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan. The indictment cites a single alleged transfer but provides no further financial details.

The Hill

The indictment follows a broader DOJ push to investigate civil-society groups, including probes of George Soros’s Open Society Foundations and visa actions against online hate-speech NGOs. The FBI has cut ties with the SPLC and the ADL, calling the former a “partisan smear machine.”

The Hill

The SPLC, founded in 1971, runs an informant program. Interim CEO Bryan Fair defends its law-enforcement value. Congressional voices include Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on the House Judiciary Committee, and critics Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tx.) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.).

The Hill

The DOJ claims the SPLC misled donors about informant-fund use. SPLC says the program saved lives and worked with law enforcement. Rep. Raskin calls the indictment politically motivated and urges hearings to protect First-Amendment work. Rep. Jordan says the nonprofit’s expanded “hate” definition now targets conservative groups and demands documents.

The Hill

Conservative lawmakers argue SPLC’s “Hate Map” conflates policy differences with white-supremacist ideology, warning that “a mere difference in policy opinion may land you on SPLC’s hate map.” They claim the informant program created conflicts by channeling money to extremist leaders, viewing the indictment as an attempt to silence dissent.

The Hill

The indictment cites a single financial transfer to a hate-group leader, while SPLC asserts no donor deception occurred. The indictment does not disclose the amount transferred, and SPLC’s filings provide limited detail on the three law-enforcement collaborations it cites.

The Hill

• “They’ve been murmuring for a long time about the coming assault on the not-for-profit community,” — Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

The Hill

• “A mere difference in policy opinion may land you on SPLC’s hate map,” — Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx.

The Hill

• “ “The charges against the SPLC are provably wrong; they are based on inaccurate facts and a misapplication of law.” — Bryan Fair, interim CEO, SPLC.

The Hill

• “It is, as far as the indictment reads, a complete abomination of our criminal justice system.” — Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y.

The Hill

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan announced a hearing to examine SPLC’s informant program and its impact on civil-rights policy. Democrats, led by Rep. Raskin, plan a parallel inquiry demanding DOJ disclosure of case documents. The outcomes will shape whether further DOJ actions against nonprofit advocacy groups proceed.

The Hill