House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan used Wednesday’s hearing to launch a blistering attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center, accusing the Biden Justice Department of protecting the organization despite allegedly uncovering evidence of fraud and political misconduct.
According to Jordan, the DOJ under Attorney General Merrick Garland opened a criminal investigation into the SPLC before quietly backing away from it once officials realized how closely intertwined the group had become with the administration’s broader domestic extremism agenda.
“They had opened an investigation. They were looking into this group,” Jordan said during the hearing. “They knew the Southern Poverty Law Center was running a scam, but they dropped the case.”
Jordan argued the SPLC had become deeply embedded inside the Biden-era Justice Department through training programs, consultations, and policy coordination tied to domestic extremism efforts.
“When you meet with them, consult with them, have them train your prosecutors, well, guess what? You’re not gonna prosecute them,” Jordan said. “They’re too valuable politically.”
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. Rep. Jim Jordan just confirmed the Biden admin DROPPED the investigation against fraudulent Southern Poverty Law Center after the SPLC trained their own DOJ staff to target conservatives
Now we know the SPLC PAID neo-nazis to boost their own income
“FBI… pic.twitter.com/FYQ1OHTCMz
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 20, 2026
Republicans at the hearing repeatedly pointed to the FBI’s controversial “Richmond Memo,” which proposed examining possible links between traditionalist Catholic groups and violent extremism. The memo sparked widespread outrage after becoming public, with critics accusing the administration of targeting ordinary religious Americans under the guise of counterterrorism.
Jordan argued the SPLC played a major role in shaping the ideological framework behind that effort.
“That memo says, if you’re a pro-life Catholic, well, you’re an extremist, you’re dangerous,” Jordan said. “The SPLC became part of the weaponized effort of the Garland Biden Justice Department against the American people.”
The hearing also revisited allegations tied to the Justice Department’s recent federal indictment against the SPLC itself. Last month, federal prosecutors charged the organization with multiple counts including wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering tied to allegations that donor funds were secretly routed to individuals connected to extremist movements while the group publicly marketed itself as an anti-hate organization.
Among the most explosive claims discussed Wednesday was the allegation that SPLC funds ultimately reached an individual tied to organizing the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.
According to the indictment, approximately $270,000 was allegedly paid to a member of the online leadership group involved in planning the rally. Prosecutors claim the individual attended the event at the SPLC’s direction, coordinated transportation logistics, and made racist online posts while operating under the organization’s supervision.
Jordan argued the case exposed what he described as a “hate-for-profit” business model.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center almost tripled their income,” Jordan said. “They went from $51 million annual income to $133 million.”
“Turned out for them, creating hate was more profitable than fighting it.”
Republicans also tied the allegations back into the long-running political battle over President Trump’s comments following Charlottesville. Conservatives have argued for years that Trump’s “very fine people” remarks were deliberately misrepresented by media outlets and Democrats despite Trump explicitly condemning neo-Nazis during the same statement.
The “Very Fine People” Hoax just got a major plot twist.
It turns out the Unite the Right group that was involved in Charlottesville was a LEFT-WING FUNDED FRONT GROUP.
So, this was a HOAX upon a HOAX upon a HOAX.
An Unholy Trinity of Hoaxes.
The Justice Dept. has just… pic.twitter.com/3nr7whDCi6
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) April 22, 2026
Wednesday’s hearing escalated that argument further by suggesting the underlying extremist movement itself may have been manipulated or infiltrated in ways the public never fully understood.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche previously described the alleged conduct as “manufacturing racism,” language Republicans repeatedly invoked during the hearing while accusing Democrats and media organizations of weaponizing the Charlottesville narrative politically for years afterward.
Jordan concluded by arguing the current DOJ leadership is finally pursuing accountability that previous officials avoided.
“Guess what?” Jordan said. “They’re prosecuting these guys.”
The SPLC has denied wrongdoing and continues defending its anti-extremism work, but Wednesday’s hearing made clear Republicans intend to keep the organization at the center of their broader argument that federal law enforcement and activist institutions became dangerously politicized during the Biden years.
