Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Interim President and CEO Bryan Fair says, “SPLC will vigorously defend ourselves” after the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation over claims of using paid informants, such as leaders of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), to infiltrate extremist groups, pushing potential criminal charges.
BLACK ENTERPRISE received a statement from Fair saying, “We are outraged by the false allegations levied against SPLC – an organization that for 55 years has stood as a beacon of hope fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to create a multi-racial democracy where we can all live and thrive.” “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. To be clear, this program saved lives,” he continued.
eight="250" type="doubleclick" data-slot="/21868623726/site264.tmus/amp2" data-multi-size="320x50,300x250" data-multi-size-validation="false" rtc-config='{"vendors": {"prebidappnexuspsp": {"PLACEMENT_ID": "27198239"}}, "timeoutMillis": 500}'>“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. SPLC will vigorously defend ourselves, our staff and our work; we will continue to fight hate; and we will continue to envision and create a safer and more just world.”
Politico reports that after an indictment by a federal grand jury in the organization’s home base of Alabama, SPLC faces 11 charges, including wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. During a combative press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Blanche accused the organization of paying close to eight people, including those affiliated with extremist groups like the KKK and Nazi organizations, roughly $3 million between 2014 and 2023.
While taking questions from reporters, one journalist sought clarification if the DOJ was accusing SPLC of paying hate groups just to keep their operation running, to which Blanche responded, saying, “I’m not alleging. The grand jury returned an indictment that says that.”
Patel claims the civil rights group “used the money they raised from their donor network to actually pay the leadership of these very groups,” labeling it as a serious violation. “This is a serious and egregious violation of a group that purported to dismantle violent extremist groups, but in turn, actually only fueled the hatred,” the FBI director said.
This is not
something SPLC denies. In a video released by the group, founded in 1971, interim President and CEO Bryan Fair admitted the group began paying informants to infiltrate hate groups as a way to protect its staff after the organization’s headquarters was firebombed in 1983. “When we began working with informants, we were living in the shadow of the height of the civil rights movement, which had seen bombings at churches, state-sponsored violence against demonstrators and the murders of activists that went unanswered by the justice system,” Fair said.He said the group’s mission of fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice is the reason why they aren’t too surprised by the accusations from the Trump administration. “They have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy,” Fair continued.
According to The Washington Post, after SPLC pinpointed Turning Point USA as an epitome of the “hard right” in a 2024 report on hate and extremist groups following the assassination of Founder Charlie Kirk in September 2025, one month later, Patel announced the bureau was cutting relations with the organization after working with them for two years to identify and provide tips on domestic extremist groups.
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