President Donald Trump intensified scrutiny of the Southern Poverty Law Center following a sweeping federal indictment, declaring that if the allegations are proven true, the 2020 presidential election should be "permanently wiped from the books."
In an early morning Truth Social post on Friday, Trump described the SPLC as "one of the greatest political scams in American history" and labeled the case "another Democrat hoax," linking it to broader concerns about left-leaning political organizations and fundraising networks.
The remarks came after a federal grand jury in Alabama indicted the SPLC on 11 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Prosecutors allege the organization secretly funneled roughly $3 million in donor funds to individuals tied to extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan
and neo-Nazi organizations between 2014 and 2023.
According to the indictment, the SPLC allegedly concealed the payments through shell entities and misleading financial practices, while publicly presenting itself as combating extremism.
"The SPLC was not dismantling these groups," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche
said during a Justice Department press briefing.
"It was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred."
The case marks one of the most significant federal prosecutions ever brought against a prominent civil rights organization, underscoring mounting concerns among conservatives who have long criticized the SPLC as a partisan operation targeting right-leaning individuals and groups.
Trump seized on the indictment as validation of those concerns, suggesting the alleged misconduct could have far-reaching implications.
"If it is true, the 2020 Presidential Election should be permanently wiped from the books and be of no further force or effect!" Trump wrote.
The president's comments echo longstanding disputes over the integrity of the 2020 election, which he has repeatedly challenged, citing alleged voter fraud.
Trump and his allies continue to argue that new revelations about political organizations and influence operations warrant renewed examination.
The SPLC indictment details a years long scheme in which funds were routed through disguised accounts and fictitious businesses to pay informants embedded within extremist groups.
Prosecutors allege that in some cases payments reached hundreds of thousands of dollars, including to one individual linked to the 2017 Charlottesville rally, which left one woman dead and became a flashpoint for white nationalism and political violence.
SPLC officials deny wrongdoing, saying that the use of confidential informants was a legitimate investigative tool aimed at gathering intelligence on dangerous groups.
The organization has vowed to fight the charges in court.
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