Florida Subpoenas Southern Poverty Law Center Over Informants

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier launched an investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center Monday, piggybacking off federal charges filed against the organization.

The Justice Department announced bank fraud charges against the organization on April 21 over alleged money the nonprofit paid to confidential informants inside organizations it was investigating and imposing, including the Ku Klux Klan.

Uthmeier’s investigation circles the same issue, demanding communications with donors about the law center’s practices of using informants, documentation of the amount of donations from Florida residents, a list of legal entities the organization uses for fundraising, and payments the organization made to informants.

“The SPLC raises millions in charitable donations every year, while allegedly paying members and leaders within the very groups it purports to fight,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “SPLC appears to be running a deceptive organization that pays informants to manufacture racism on its behalf. If these allegations are true, there will be consequences.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The organization has denied the charges, and claims that the Justice Department misled the public by saying the group doesn’t share information with law enforcement.

The subpoena appears to be drafted to avoid a thorny issued tackled by the US Supreme Court on April 29 when the unanimous high court ruled a New Jersey crisis pregnancy center could sue in federal court to block a state subpoena into its donor information. That case is now proceeding simultaneously in federal and state court.

“This Subpoena does not seek to obtain the personally identifying information of any private entity or person whose relationship to SPLC is solely as a confidential or anonymous donor or member and whose identity as a donor or member has not been made public,” the Florida subpoena said. “SPLC may redact such personally identifying information in its response to this Subpoena.”