SPLC investigation Trump administration raises urgent questions about civil rights enforcement, federal power, and the future of nonprofit advocacy in the U.S.
The head of the Southern Poverty Law Center said Tuesday that the civil rights organization was being “targeted” by the Trump administration with a criminal investigation that appeared to focus on the group’s use of confidential informants that gathered evidence on “extremely violent groups.”
Bryan Fair, the interim chief executive of the group, said in a video posted Tuesday that the 55-year-old organization was facing a “serious” threat: “a criminal investigation and possible charges against the SPLC or some of our employees.”
Fair said SPLC’s confidential sources had “risked their lives to infiltrate and report on the activities of our nation’s most radical and violent extremist groups,” and provided information to the FBI which “saved lives.” For decades SPLC has used civil lawsuits to combat white supremist groups.
The federal criminal hook for any potential investigation into the group is unclear.
The Justice Department, as is standard practice, has made no public announcements about any investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama, where SPLC is located, said in a statement when asked for comment that “as a matter of Department of Justice policy, we generally do not confirm, deny, or otherwise comment on the existence or non-existence of investigations.”
The Trump administration has already taken action against the SPLC, which has long faced criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill.
In an interview with Trump administration officials working on a forthcoming report on “anti-Christian bias,” FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI had “jettisoned all relationships with the Southern Poverty Law Center,” NBC News reported earlier this month.
Recounting the organization’s fight against white supremacy and other forms of injustice, Fair said the SPLC was “unsurprised to be the latest organization targeted by this administration, they have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy.”
