Congress became aware of alleged fraud by the Southern Poverty Law Center thanks to a Department of Justice whistleblower, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Newsmax on Tuesday.
Appearing on "Wake Up America" with co-hosts Sharla McBride and Marc Lotter, Jordan said the long-suspected issues surrounding the left-leaning group came into sharper focus after an informant brought evidence forward.
"We had an informant, a whistleblower, come forward to the Justice Department and tell them what was going on," Jordan said, describing the allegations as deeply troubling.
The SPLC, which has long positioned itself as a leading watchdog against hate groups, is now facing serious accusations that it misled donors while allegedly funneling money in ways that contradict its stated mission.
According to Jordan, the organization "was promoting the hate that they said they were fighting."
Jordan emphasized what he called the broader implications, pointing out that the SPLC has been widely used as a standard for identifying so-called extremist groups, including conservative organizations such as Moms for Liberty and the Family Research Council.
Even more concerning, Jordan noted, was the group's influence within the federal government.
He said the Biden administration's Justice Department and FBI relied on SPLC materials, including in a controversial Richmond FBI memo that labeled certain pro-life Catholics as potential extremists.
"Here was this group presenting themselves as doing all this great work … and it turns out they're running a scam," Jordan said.
The Ohio Republican also raised questions about whether individuals allegedly paid by the SPLC had overlapping ties to federal law enforcement and perhaps were present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
He suggested investigators will explore whether any paid sources connected to extremist groups were also working as FBI informants, potentially receiving money from multiple sources.
"That’s something we're going to find out," Jordan said.
Beyond the SPLC probe, Jordan highlighted a separate investigation into ActBlue, a major Democrat fundraising platform, which he described as the "money machine for the Democrat Party."
He accused ActBlue officials of withholding documents and potentially misleading Congress regarding how they handled foreign contributions — a violation of federal law.
"It looks like they lied to Congress," Jordan said, adding that multiple witnesses invoked their Fifth Amendment rights when questioned by lawmakers.
Jordan said Republicans plan to continue digging into both matters, with hearings expected in the coming weeks.
He stressed that the scale of the ActBlue operation, which reportedly raised billions during the 2024 election cycle, makes the investigation especially significant.
As scrutiny intensifies, Jordan argued the findings could expose systemic issues within organizations that have long operated with little oversight, raising new concerns about transparency, accountability, and political influence in Washington.
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Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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