DOJ Probes Southern Poverty Law Center Over Use of Informants

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which could face possible charges over its past use of paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups, according to a report by

Collin Binkley and Alanna Durkin Richer for the Associated Press (AP).

It was alleged that the SPLC previously used informants to infiltrate extremist groups and collect intelligence, which was often shared with local and federal law enforcement. (Photo: Southern Law Poverty Center)

The civil rights group said that it is the subject of the investigation and that the administration of Donald Trump appears to be preparing legal action against the organization or some of its employees.

“Although we don’t know all the details, the focus appears to be on the SPLC’s prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups,” CEO Bryan Fair said in a statement.

Fair said the SPLC previously used informants to infiltrate extremist groups and collect intelligence, which was often shared with local and federal law enforcement.

The program was kept confidential to protect the safety of informants.

“When we began working with informants, we were living in the shadow of the height of the Civil Rights Movement, which had seen bombings at churches, state-sponsored violence against demonstrators, and the murders of activists that went unanswered by the justice system,” Fair said.

“There is no question that what we learned from informants saved lives.”

He added that the organization “will vigorously defend ourselves, our staff, and our work.”