Breaking: Leftist Southern Poverty Law Center Under Criminal DOJ Investigation
The Southern Poverty Law Center is under investigation by the Department of Justice, according to a video the group released on Tuesday.
In a video message posted to YouTube, interim President and CEO Bryan Fair blamed Republicans for targeting the law center in the past and labeling it as “partisan and profitable,” adding that the probe will focus on the organization’s use of confidential informants.
“Although we don’t know all the details, the focus appears to be on the SPLC’s prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups,” he said.
“This use of informants was necessary because we are no stranger to threats of violence,” he continued. “In light of that work, we sought to protect the safety of our staff and the public. We frequently shared what we learned from informants with local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI.”
Fair added, “We did not, however, share our use of informants broadly with anyone to protect the identity and safety of the informants and their families. And while we no longer work with paid informants, we continue to take their safety seriously.”
The case is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama, according to sources with direct knowledge who spoke with CBS News.
Fair went on to say these informants worked to infiltrate what the non-profit deemed to be “radical and violent extremist groups,” and that the law center was forced to work with CIs due to violence that occurred 55 years ago during the civil rights movement.
He then accused the federal government of being “weaponized to dismantle the rights of our nation’s most vulnerable people,” and said there is a struggle between those who want “justice” and those who “resist progress.”
The Capital Research Center’s work regarding the SPLC tells a different story, however, one where the group uses a massive war chest that rivals large universities and hospitals, while exhibiting extreme political bias unfit for a non-profit entity.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center is perhaps most notorious for its ‘hate map,’ which not only neglects to track extremist groups on the left, but also lumps mainstream conservative and religious organizations right alongside some of the most reprehensible neo-Nazis and white supremacists in the country,” a CRC article from 2025 reads.
“The controversial activist group has also become phenomenally wealthy, with an endowment rivaling prominent universities and annual revenues exceeding some of the most well-known charities in the country,” it continued.
The group was also called out for its frequent use of the words “urgent” or “emergency” when soliciting cash from prospective donors, despite an October 2024 disclosure revealing $786.7 million in net assets, most of which was reportedly in public and private equity funds.
It also enjoys the tax benefits of a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity despite its activities being “highly controversial and divisive,” the CRC piece contended.
The group’s website is currently focused on making noise in the southern U.S. with a banner that reads, “FIRST THE SOUTH. THEN THE NATION.”
Below those words are several tabs detailing information about five southern states that consistently vote Republican: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
“We are starting a movement in the South that will inspire change nationwide,” the website reads. “Throughout history, the South has been a place of resilience, strength and transformation. Our mission begins here.”
“When we empower communities, we lay the groundwork for a national movement that uplifts all people and drives meaningful progress for future generations.,” the statement concluded. “Join us as we create a future where justice, equality and opportunity are available to all.”
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