The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an Alabama-based civil rights organization. The announcement was made Tuesday by the group's interim CEO, Bryan Fair, in a video posted to YouTube.
The investigation appears to focus on a now-defunct program in which the organization used paid confidential informants to infiltrate extremist and extremely violent groups to gather credible intelligence. The SPLC faces possible charges against the organization or its employees resulting from these prior activities.
Bryan Fair stated that the 55-year-old organization is being targeted by the Trump administration. While describing the criminal investigation as a serious threat, Fair asserted that the group will not be intimidated.