On April 28, the chairman of the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee formally asked the interim leader of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to appear before the panel for a May hearing, following a criminal indictment announced last week.
The indictment, obtained by the Trump administration last week, accuses the century-spanning civil rights organization of defrauding its own donors by deploying paid informants to infiltrate far-right organizations. The SPLC, which tracks political extremists, responded to the charges by calling them "false allegations."
In a letter to Bryan Fair, the SPLC's interim president and chief executive officer, U.S. Representative Jim Jordan said: "We respectfully request your testimony at a hearing of the Committee on the Judiciary on May 20, 2026," signaling that the committee plans to question the group and its practices in a public forum.
Jordan's letter states the hearing will review the role the SPLC "has played in distorting federal civil rights policy in recent years," and accuses the group's reporting on hate in the United States of reflecting a "highly partisan understanding of 'hate'" that the congressman contends unfairly targets conservatives.
The SPLC has defended its use of paid informants, saying that the program has "saved lives" and that the practice was not concealed from federal authorities. The organization also notes that it had long shared intelligence it collected with the FBI and other law enforcement entities until the Trump administration severed ties with the group six months ago.
Separately, observers point out that the FBI also makes use of paid informants in its investigative work. The upcoming congressional hearing is expected to focus on the allegations contained in the indictment and the broader implications of the SPLC's activities for federal civil rights enforcement and policy.
Context and next steps
- The committee's requested testimony is scheduled for May 20, 2026.
- The indictment alleges donor fraud tied to the SPLC's use of paid informants in far-right groups.
- The SPLC has publicly rejected the charges as "false allegations" and says its informant program has "saved lives."
The hearing will offer lawmakers an opportunity to question the SPLC directly about its practices and its prior information-sharing arrangements with law enforcement. The developments have also prompted concern among rights advocates about what they describe as a wider crackdown on civil rights organizations and other dissenting voices.