(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Two Democrat lawmakers have turned to a familiar playbook to undermine the 11-count grand jury indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center: an anonymous “whistleblower” and claims the charges were “rushed.”
Details of the effort surfaced in reports from CNN and MSNBC, both of which covered a letter from Rep. Jamie Raskin and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon to U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson, who is overseeing the case.
The lawmakers claim a whistleblower alleged that Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh ordered Davidson to “rush through” the SPLC indictment despite supposed concerns about the strength of the case.
Raskin and Scanlon demanded that Davidson turn over emails and text messages tied to the SPLC investigation, even though they lack subpoena power.
They also called for those records to be preserved, a move that suggests they may pursue them if Democrats regain power in the 2026 midterms.
Notably, the letter does not reveal the whistleblower’s identity or which office he or she allegedly works for.
Despite the claims, even if senior DOJ officials pushed for urgency, the decision to return an indictment ultimately rests with a grand jury.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the investigation began during the Biden administration but was halted for unclear reasons.
According to a 14-page indictment, the SPLC faces six counts of wire fraud tied to alleged efforts to conceal payments to informants embedded in hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, United Klans of America, Unite the Right and American Front.
The organization is also charged with four counts of making false statements to a federally insured bank and one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.
“The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” Blanche said in a statement. “Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked. This Department of Justice will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable. No entity is above the law.”
The SPLC denies the claims as the case moves forward in court.
