The FBI announced on October 3 that it has cut ties with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) due to the organization’s hyper-partisanship and bias against conservative figures and organizations.
The SPLC, a non-profit civil rights organization founded in 1971, has targeted certain people and groups that promote various forms of right-wing ideology, including them on a “hate map” list. Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, along with the Alliance Defending Freedom, are both on the organization’s list, despite their stark differences of view toward certain subjects.
FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X the decision and the rationale behind it.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine,” Patel wrote. “Their so-called ‘hate map’ has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence. That disgraceful record makes them unfit for any FBI partnership. In April, during our Anti-Christian Bias Panel, I made it clear that the FBI will never rely on politicized or agenda-driven intelligence from outside groups — and certainly not from the SPLC.”
The SPLC describes itself as “a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.”
In 1990, the SPLC launched its hate map, targeting people and groups deemed hateful and antithetical to its values, including, but not limited to, white supremacy, anti-LGBTQ, and racism.
“For decades, we have shared data and analysis with the public to protect civil rights and hold extremists accountable,” the SPLC said in a statement, according to Politico. “We remain committed to exposing hate and extremism as we work to equip communities with knowledge and defend the rights and safety of marginalized people.”
The SPLC has included Turning Point USA on its website, featuring the organization in an article titled “Turning Point USA: A case study of the hard right in 2024.” TPUSA remains an “Antigovernment general” organization on its infamous hate map.
