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PERFECT – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is being asked to strip the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) of its tax-exempt status, after the Republican congress accused its funding of extremist groups as “an act of fraud.”
The request of Rep. Mark Harris, RN.C., made the case that while raising millions under the guise of fighting hate, the SPLC showed a clear pattern of targeting ordinary people on their “hateful map” while funding the activities of extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, as alleged in Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits.
“The SPLC has reached a point where it's become very clear that it's no longer the organization it might have been, but it's a left-wing political organization that's funded by the majority of Americans and they'd be surprised to know,” Harris told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday.
Attorney Mark Harris questions Special Counsel Jack Smith during a House Judiciary Committee hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 22, 2026. Smith testified about his criminal investigation into President Donald Trump, including interference in the 2020 election and classified documents. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
The lawyer's letter to Bessent confirms that a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization “must be organized and used primarily for charitable, educational, or similar purposes and cannot engage in political activities,” and explains why he thinks the SPLC is ignoring that rule.
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“[T]”The SPLC has been involved in the targeting of conservative groups by placing them on the so-called 'hate map,' along with organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Brotherhood,” the publication notes.
“Right now, violent left-wing groups like Antifa and Jane's Revenge are largely ignored by the self-described civil rights movement.”
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week, Harris, a pastor, spoke about the biggest scandal of the Biden era — the DOJ's surveillance of what it called “traditionalist Catholics.” The Biden administration is said to have used the SPLC's guidance to justify the vigilance.
The Southern Poverty Law Center released its 2022 map showing hate and anti-government groups across the United States. (Southern Poverty Law Center)
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The Alabama-based nonprofit also included mainstream Christian groups, such as the Family Research Council and the Alliance Defending Freedom, on the “hate map.”
And in 2012, deranged gunman Floyd Lee Corkins II attacked the Family Research Council office in Washington, DC, shooting a security guard after finding out they were labeled as an anti-LGBT organization on the SPLC website.
“I mean, we could go on and on about those teams, but they're all the same, they're the strongest teams in the country that stand on the principles of consistency,” Harris told Fox News Digital.
The North Carolina representative also took on the SPLC for allegations that the group funneled $4 million into shell companies to fund the KKK and other extremist organizations, all of which they claim fight hate.
Harris said in his letter to Bessent that this was “an act of fraud” and not a charity, and it must be dealt with.
“Everything is in the hands of Capitol Hill. At the Treasury, we prepare things in advance. We have prepared in advance that if this law is passed, we will stick to the law,” explained Bessent. (Mark Schifelbein/AP)
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“According to what we are reading in this case of the Department of Justice that shows even how this four million dollars was misused or how it was used, that example was that they actually financed the meeting of the Ku Klux Klan and financed the burning of the cross and paid for the gas to burn the cross,” he said.
He accused the SPLC of creating discrimination that he says is illegal.
Harris cited claims at this week's conference that the SPLC saw a surge in donations after the deadly 2017 “Unite the Rights” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. This group is accused of paying an informant to help organize the rally.
“This is how these groups work because they are also a money-making machine,” said Harris. “If they can keep things moving, if they can keep things and people fighting, if they can keep people apart … then they're accomplishing what they want to accomplish, which at the end of the day, is about the mighty dollar.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) building seen in March 2020 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Barry Lewis/Photos via Getty Images)
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Harris' letter concluded: “The evidence is clear: the SPLC does not operate as a charity and therefore should lose its tax-exempt status. I respectfully request that you direct the IRS to review the SPLC's Section 501(c)(3) status and take appropriate action to revoke its tax-exempt status.”
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The SPLC denied the DOJ's allegations.
The group did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
