Allegations Against Southern Poverty Law Center Prompt White House Reaction
WASHINGTON—On Wednesday, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt discussed the grand jury indictment, stating that it labels the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) a “criminal organization.” She emphasized that the charges brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) should be major news nationwide.
In a response to queries from Breitbart News regarding the White House’s stand on the SPLC’s legal issues, Levitt remarked, “Yes, I saw the indictment yesterday. I watched as the acting attorney general and FBI director held a press conference on it. It was incredibly shocking to me to learn about the serious legal violations attributed to the Southern Poverty Law Center.”
Leavitt further insisted, “This deserves front-page coverage in every newspaper across the country. They’ve misled their supporters and the American public for far too long. This isn’t just a statement from the Justice Department or Todd Blanche; this is what the grand jury is saying.”
As highlighted by Breitbart News, the DOJ revealed on Tuesday that an Alabama grand jury has indicted the SPLC on “11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealed money laundering.”
A DOJ press release detailed that, since the 1980s, the SPLC allegedly operated a hidden network involving individuals tied to violent extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. While denouncing these groups publicly, some donations were reportedly directed towards financing leaders and organizers of such organizations, unbeknownst to donors.
The SPLC is accused of channeling over $3 million from 2014 to 2023 to individuals associated with various extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, Unite the Right, and the Aryan Nation-affiliated Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated, “The SPLC allegedly conducted a massive fraud scheme to mislead donors, enrich itself, and conceal its deceptive practices from the public.” He added, “They claimed they aimed to dismantle violent extremist groups while lying to their supporters, only to turn around and fund the leaders of these very groups, which allowed those groups to commit state and federal crimes.”
