House Judiciary Chair Jordan asks Bondi for records on Biden DOJ's ties to liberal nonprofit SPLC
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting documents and communications between the Biden administration's Justice Department and the liberal nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center.
The request comes after documents released last month by America First Legal appear to show that the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division partnered with the SPLC, including allowing SPLC employees to train its federal prosecutors. The documents also appear to show SPLC held regular meetings with the department.
The nonprofit law firm in its report on the documents did not seek comment for SPLC. Just the News unsuccessfully attempted to reach the center Tuesday night for comment.
“The committee is continuing to investigate the Biden-Harris Department of Justice’s and Federal Bureau of Investigation’s weaponization of federal law-enforcement resources against conservative Americans,” Jordan wrote in a letter shared with the Daily Signal. “The extent of the SPLC’s influence over our nation’s federal law enforcement during the Biden-Harris administration is deeply concerning, and we respectfully request additional information on this matter."
The government, including the FBI, previously used the SPLC as a source for defining and tracking extremist groups, and the SPLC has garnered a reputation for criticizing conservative groups in recent years.
The center also was reportedly a source for a 2022 memo drafted by the FBI's Richmond Field Office suggesting that traditional Catholics could be potential extremists. FBI headquarters said the memo was immediately removed upon its discovery.
Jordan said the fact that the previous administration allegedly had a close relationship with the nonprofit was "more evidence of the Biden-Harris administration’s weaponization of the federal government against certain Americans.”
“The SPLC routinely maligns conservative and religious organizations, such as Turning Point USA, Family Research Council, and Moms for Liberty, as ‘hate’ groups simply because the SPLC disagrees with their views,” Jordan added.
The SPLC condemned the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in September but kept Turning Point labeled as a hate group.