FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators uncovered evidence of financial misconduct involving the Southern Poverty Law Center after following money flows tied to the organization, responding to allegations outlined in a superseding indictment announced this week.
During an exchange with Kayleigh McEnany, the discussion focused on allegations involving individuals identified as informants and claims that donor funds were used to support activities connected to hate groups.
“As this was taking place this week, there was also a superseding indictment announced for the Southern Poverty Law Center, the SPLC,” McEnany said.
McEnany described several allegations included in the indictment.
“The allegations are shocking in it. I want to pull some of them up. These F 31 and F 32 these are informants, as the SPLC calls them. In other words, people working at hate groups,” McEnany said.
According to McEnany, investigators alleged that SPLC funds were used to reimburse materials connected to cross-burning events.
“What they found was the SPLC reimbursed for wood and fuel used in cross burning events,” McEnany said.
She also referenced allegations involving payments to an individual convicted of cross burning.
“They also secretly paid an individual who was taking donor money and who was convicted of cross burning,” McEnany said.
McEnany further highlighted allegations involving an informant who allegedly embezzled donor funds while maintaining a relationship with an SPLC employee.
“And on top of that, the SPLC had an informant who was taking in over 1.2 million in donors’ money, who was dating an employee at SPLC while raising funds for the hate group, this is astonishing. You guys found this. This has been going on for years,” McEnany said.
Patel said investigators focused on tracing financial transactions rather than building a case around predetermined conclusions.
“Look, we did something that other administrations refused to do. We followed the money, and Kaylee, you know why we follow the money? Because money doesn’t lie, and we don’t reverse engineer these investigations and prosecutions,” Patel said.
Patel said the investigation followed financial records connected to the organization and led to evidence presented to a grand jury.
“We follow the money, we followed it through the SPLC,” Patel said.
Patel also criticized media coverage of the investigation, saying some outlets objected to federal scrutiny of the organization.
“And just think of the irony here, and Kaylee, you know this better than anyone else. The mainstream media exploded on us when we dared to go after, quote unquote, the SPLC and the saviors of civil liberties,” Patel said.
Patel argued that the financial evidence uncovered by investigators contradicted the organization’s public image.
“Well, look at what the money says, not what I say. Look at what the grand jury said. The money from this organization was directly funding the hate groups they were supposedly going after, like you said, paying for wood for cross burnings, paying for roads, paying for informants,” Patel said.
He alleged that the activity amounted to a broader fraud and embezzlement scheme.
“They intentionally set them into motion to then ignite these hate groups that they were supposedly defending America from, creating a huge fraud and embezzlement campaign,” Patel said.
Patel emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing and said additional scrutiny is expected.
“And these indictments and these investigations, which we are speaking through publicly, are very much in the beginning stages. We’re going to continue this investigation,” Patel said.
Patel concluded by saying that anyone found to have engaged in criminal activity would be held accountable.
“And know everyone that was involved in this offensive conduct, criminal conduct, is going to be brought to justice, because we’re going to follow the money, and the money never lies. And that’s what pisses off the American mainstream media the most. It’s because we caught them at their epicenter of fraud and deceit when they told the American public they were supposedly standing up for minorities and racial division,” Patel said.
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