The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) says the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into the organization and that it could face federal criminal charges over its use of paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups.
The SPLC announced the investigation in a public statement, noting that the DOJ “is preparing to bring criminal charges against the SPLC or some of its staff.”
From The Associated Press:
The Southern Poverty Law Center says it’s the subject of a criminal investigation by the Justice Department and faces possible charges over its past use of paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups.
The civil rights group made the announcement on Tuesday, saying President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be preparing legal action against it or some of its employees.
“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,” CEO Bryan Fair said in a statement.
The Justice Department had no immediate comment.
The Southern Poverty Law Center previously paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups and gather information on their activities, often sharing it with local and federal law enforcement, Fair said. It was used to monitor threats of violence, he said, adding that the program was kept quiet to protect the safety of informants.
“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. “There is no question that what we learned from informants saved lives.”
The DOJ uses paid informants all the time —why is it OK for them but not the SPLC? @splcenter plays a vital role in fighting hatred, yet has been unfairly targeted by Trump and House Republicans since day one.
— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) April 21, 2026
This politicized intimidation needs to stop, now. https://t.co/8VjTgLsxU4
The SPLC’s informants would not only report back on the activities of extremist groups, they would also share information with local and federal law enforcement agencies. The organization maintains a level of secrecy about its program to protect the informants’ safety.
Before this investigation, the SPLC enjoyed close ties with federal law enforcement — especially under the Biden administration. The organization provided research that the DOJ used in training and civil rights enforcement. House Republicans later held a hearing titled “Partisan and Profitable: The SPLC’s Influence on Federal Civil Rights Policy” in which they accused the group of working with Biden’s Justice Department to target Christians and conservatives.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced in October that the Bureau had cut ties with the SPLC. In a statement, he noted that “the Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine” and that its “so-called ‘hate map’ has been used tot defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence.”
For years, critics have called out the SPLC due to its deceptive tactics, especially its “hate map,” which lists almost 1,400 organizations and individuals it labels as hateful extremists. Yet, the group focuses primarily on right-wing figures and groups while largely ignoring those on the left.
It labeled Turning Point USA as an “anti-government” or “hard right” organization, placing it in the same category as the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups. In many other cases, the organization has falsely portrayed regular conservative or Christian organizations in a similar manner.