DOJ Prosecutes Organization That Paid Informants to Surveil Far-Right Extremists
NEWS & RESEARCH
The Department of Justice charged the Southern Poverty Law Center in an eleven-count indictment for allegedly defrauding donors to use their money to pay informants in far-right extremist organizations. A whistleblower told House Democrats that an attorney working under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche ordered the indictment “despite serious concerns about the strength of the case.” The SPLC defended the program as a necessary intelligence operation necessitated by historical failures of the justice system and asked the federal judge to throw out the charges as vindictive prosecution on behalf of President Trump’s political goals.
SOURCES: AP | NPR | BBC | New York Times | The Guardian | New York Times
ANALYSIS & OPINION
The ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee Jamie Raskin ridiculed the prosecution, asking: “Where are all the donors claiming to have been defrauded?… Where are all the civil lawsuits that always follow in the wake of a scam or ripoff?” Former federal prosecutors have expressed skepticism regarding the Justice Department's 11-count indictment of SPLC, noting the case suffers from significant legal defects and fails to clearly articulate the elements of a crime. Legal experts contend, for example, that the wire fraud charges are based on vague fundraising language that does not demonstrate material falsehoods, especially since using paid informants to infiltrate hate groups aligns with the SPLC's stated mission of dismantling white supremacy. The bank fraud allegations fail to allege evidence of an intent to defraud. The Nation charges the indictment is “a dog whistle to white nationalists.”
SOURCES: CBS News | Bloomberg Law | The Nation | Common Cause
HOW TO FIX IT
Federal action:
Pass the Preventing Political Prosecutions Act to give a right to sue federal officials for selective or malicious prosecutions or investigations.
Defeat the PEPPER Act, which allows current presidents and vice-presidents to remove state-level cases to federal court.
Track retaliatory arrests, prosecutions and investigations.
Legislation: H.R.7575 - Prohibiting Political Prosecutions Act of 2026
