Chairman Jordan Requests Documents about Southern Poverty Law Center Paying Extremists
April 23, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) sent a letter to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Interim CEO and President Bryan Fair demanding documents and communications regarding the SPLC paying sources and any coordination with the Biden-Harris Administration. On April 21, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the SPLC with wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Alarmingly, between 2014 and 2023, the SPLC allegedly funneled more than $3 million in donor funds to individuals associated with violent extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, the United Klans of America, and the National Socialist Party of America (American Nazi Party), among others. The SPLC's informants remained "engaged in the active promotion of racist groups" while receiving money from the SPLC. For instance, one informant who helped to plan the violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 "made racist postings under the supervision of the SPLC and helped coordinate transportation to the event for several attendees."
At no point did the SPLC inform its donors that their charitable donations might be used to pay leaders of violent hate groups.
The Committee has been conducting oversight of the Biden-Harris Administration's close coordination with the SPLC on federal civil rights matters. We have found that an internal FBI system contained at least 13 documents, including the Richmond memorandum that labeled traditional Catholics as "violent extremists," that cited material from the SPLC. In addition, other publicly available documents revealed how the Justice Department partnered closely with the SPLC during the Biden-Harris Administration, including scheduling regular meetings, giving the SPLC early access to federal law-enforcement data, and allowing SPLC employees to train federal prosecutors. The new information about the SPLC alleged in the indictment only raises further questions
Read the full letter to the Interim CEO of the SPLC here.
Alarmingly, between 2014 and 2023, the SPLC allegedly funneled more than $3 million in donor funds to individuals associated with violent extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, the United Klans of America, and the National Socialist Party of America (American Nazi Party), among others. The SPLC's informants remained "engaged in the active promotion of racist groups" while receiving money from the SPLC. For instance, one informant who helped to plan the violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 "made racist postings under the supervision of the SPLC and helped coordinate transportation to the event for several attendees."
At no point did the SPLC inform its donors that their charitable donations might be used to pay leaders of violent hate groups.
The Committee has been conducting oversight of the Biden-Harris Administration's close coordination with the SPLC on federal civil rights matters. We have found that an internal FBI system contained at least 13 documents, including the Richmond memorandum that labeled traditional Catholics as "violent extremists," that cited material from the SPLC. In addition, other publicly available documents revealed how the Justice Department partnered closely with the SPLC during the Biden-Harris Administration, including scheduling regular meetings, giving the SPLC early access to federal law-enforcement data, and allowing SPLC employees to train federal prosecutors. The new information about the SPLC alleged in the indictment only raises further questions
Read the full letter to the Interim CEO of the SPLC here.
###