‘Running a scam’: House Judiciary Committee wants SPLC CEO to take witness stand

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) interim president and CEO Bryan Fair should appear before the House Judiciary Committee soon to "answer our questions about the scam they run," according to committee chairman U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

A Montgomery grand jury returned an indictment in April charging the SPLC  with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank and money laundering. 

The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division filed two forfeiture actions to recover alleged proceeds of the organization's fraud scheme. 

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division.

According to the indictment, starting in the 1980s, the SPLC began operating a covert network of individuals who were either associated with violent and extremist groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, or who had infiltrated violent extremist groups at the SPLC's direction. Unbeknownst to donors, some of their donated money was being used to fund the leaders and organizers of racist groups at the same time that the SPLC was denouncing the same groups on its website, according to the DOJ. 

The SPLC pleaded not guilty to the charges at a May hearing in federal court in Montgomery. A trial has been set for October.

Jordan said during a committee hearing on Wednesday, the SPLC was "running a scam" with $800 million in assets and a $700 million endowment fund.

"They're prosecuting these guys for running a scam. Ripping off their donors, falsely labeling all kinds of good organizations like Family Research Council, Moms for Liberty, Alliance Defending Freedom, falsely labeling them hate groups. They got caught. Thank goodness they did," Jordan said. "We look forward to bringing in the head of the Southern Poverty Law Center. We're in discussions with them about having them. We wanted them here today, couldn't make it. We're working on it. We will do whatever it takes to get him on that witness stand to answer our questions about the scam they run, the lies they told, the things they did."