OMISSION: The Networks Fall SILENT on the Indictment of the SPLC

Jorge Bonilla
April 21st, 2026 10:10 PM

Text to Speech

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The Southern Poverty Law Center has long been utilized by the Elitist Media as a go-to when seeking to silence, shun or otherwise castigate conservatives by smearing them as “hate groups.” Perhaps this explains their reluctance to cover the Department of Justice’s indictment of the SPLC on multiple fraud charges.

ABC, CBS, and NBC all bit their tongues rather than report on the downfall of the self-proclaimed “anti-hate” group. In fact, only PBS reported on the indictment. Here is that report as aired on PBS News Hour on Tuesday, April 21st, 2026:

AMNA NAWAZ: In the day’s other headlines, the Justice Department announced criminal charges today against the Southern Poverty Law Center over its past use of paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters late this afternoon that the charges include wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Earlier in the day, the head of the organization says that while it no longer works with paid informants, their contributions had been invaluable.

BRYAN FAIR: 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. There is no question that what we learned from informants saved lives. 

NAWAZ: The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971, and has long been criticized by Republicans who say it unfairly targets conservative groups and individuals. Last year, FBI director Kash Patel said the agency was severing its ties with the center, which for years had provided law enforcement with research on domestic extremism.

It is ironic because the SPLC is PBS’s go-to. But to whom will they go now when it’s time to smear conservatives? We’re not sure, but PBS’s report on the indictment was vague and unclear. The charges were recited but not explained. The SPLC’s CEO was allowed in for a friendly soundbite. The DoJ’s statement, however, paints a more exacting picture:

“The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked. This Department of Justice will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable. No entity is above the law.”

“The SPLC allegedly engaged in a massive fraud operation to deceive their donors, enrich themselves, and hide their deceptive operations from the public," said FBI Director Kash Patel. "They lied to their donors, vowing to dismantle violent extremist groups, and actually turned around and paid the leaders of these very extremist groups - even utilizing the funds to have these groups facilitate the commission of state and federal crimes. That is illegal – and this is an ongoing investigation against all individuals involved.” 

To wit: the SPLC paid off Klansmen in order to continue to gin up hate and help maintain the illusion of relevance. And according to the indictment, they may have helped fund the 2017 “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville that served as the basis for the “Very Fine People Hoax” and as the moral basis for Joe Biden’s 2019 presidential campaign announcement.

Neither of ABC, CBS, or NBC saw fit to report on this massive development. Given Charlottesville’s role in our modern political history, its prominence at the time and the SPLC’s role in making that happen, the Elitist Media should have been all over this.

 

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