SPLC Challenges DOJ Indictment, Defends Informant Program's Role in Convictions
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is contesting a recent indictment by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which accuses the organization of misleading donors about payments made to informants. The DOJ claims that the SPLC paid over $3 million to informants, many of whom were leaders within hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, and alleges that the SPLC's actions inadvertently supported these groups. In response, the SPLC asserts that its informant program has been instrumental in aiding law enforcement to incarcerate violent extremists. The organization has filed court papers stating that information from its informants led to significant convictions, including that of a member of the Atomwaffen Division who planned a terrorist attack in Las Vegas. The SPLC is seeking a judicial order to compel the DOJ to correct what it claims are false statements made by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who suggested that the SPLC did not share informant information with the FBI. 
