Alabama attorney general announces civil probe of Southern Poverty Law Center
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Attorney General announced Monday the opening of a civil investigation into the fundraising practices of the Southern Poverty Law Center, following a federal indictment against the organization.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said he sent a subpoena to the center seeking information about its donations and payments to informants. He said he was investigating whether the organization violated state laws relating to charitable organizations or deceptive business practices.
“We are eager to learn more about the inner workings of an organization that we have long believed to be rotten, but which until recently was impervious,” Marshall said in a press release.
The SPLC gave a brief response Monday. “We have received notice of the subpoena and are reviewing it,” a spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement.
The state investigation comes after the U.S. Department of Justice announced a criminal indictment against the organization, accusing it of fraud by using funds to pay informants within extremist groups. Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, accused the group of “manufacturing racism to justify its existence.”
The SPLC called the accusation “patently false” and said the informant program collected intelligence to help stop the attacks and dismantle the efforts of hate groups. The organization said federal officials have known about the program for a long time and the information was shared with law enforcement.
The organization, best known for investigating hate groups, has often clashed in legal cases with conservative groups, President Donald Trump’s administration and Marshall’s office. The center frequently criticizes the Trump administration’s policies.
