SPLC Files Motions Arguing Trump Administration Officials Made False Statements Related To Informant Program
By SPLC Photos: YouTube Screenshots| MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Tuesday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed two motions in federal court related to the grand jury indictment returned last week and announced at a press conference by Department of Justice (DOJ) officials. The motions follow the false statements by acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche in press and media interviews about the indictment and assert, in part, that the SPLC deserves to know whether the same or similar false statements were made in secret to the grand jury. Specifically, Blanche said publicly that the government had “no information” that “suggests that” the SPLC “shared what they learned [from the informant program] with law enforcement.” Among other examples, in fact the SPLC shared information from the informant program with law enforcement about the planned “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. Blanche’s statement is untrue, and the SPLC argues to the court that the government knows or should have known it. In fact, the SPLC collected voluminous and detailed information about the risk of violence, potential perpetrators and even the potential weapons that could be used at the Charlottesville rally through its informants and compiled this in a lengthy report sent to numerous law enforcement agencies, including to the FBI’s Mobile, Alabama, office ahead of the event. “The information that the SPLC shared with the FBI over the last 40 years saved lives,” said Bryan Fair, interim president and CEO, SPLC. “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. When threats and other unlawful activity were revealed, the SPLC immediately passed that information to law enforcement officials, local, state and federal and assisted in efforts to prevent violence and stop criminal activity.” In 2019, the SPLC provided information to law enforcement about a planned attack by a member of the white supremacist extremist group Atomwaffen Division, who intended to engage in a major terrorist attack against Las Vegas citizens. The SPLC’s information led to the individual being charged and convicted — and thwarted the planned attack. Prior to the indictment, attorneys for the SPLC met with prosecutors and presented specific information and documents of scenarios in which the SPLC shared information from the informant program with law enforcement. That information led to a criminal conviction of an individual that the government identified as dangerous and who lied about his affiliation with an extremist group in seeking national security clearance. These examples demonstrate the SPLC’s long history of assisting law enforcement through its informant program and cut against the false statements made by Administration officials about the indictment; moreover, they contradict allegations underlying the indictment itself, as the SPLC argues. Given the inappropriate and false information being shared by Blanche and others, the SPLC is also seeking to receive a full or partial transcript to the grand jury to ensure false statements or misinformation were not used to secure an indictment. Further, the motions seek to prevent further prejudicial statements about the SPLC being made as the investigation continues. “We strongly deny the allegations in the indictment and their falsity is already being exposed in our court filings. The government is blatantly mischaracterizing our efforts to successfully fight hatred and violent extremism, something we have done for decades. At one moment, they are appreciating our work in destroying the Klan and now, they are saying the SPLC funded and promoted the Klan,” Fair continued. “The informant program was successful in accomplishing its purposes: Threats and attacks were prevented, criminal activity was stopped, and information was gathered to dismantle the efforts of hate and extremist groups. There is no question that what we learned from informants saved lives.” The link to the motions can be found here and here.
Black News 
By SPLC
Photos: YouTube Screenshots|
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Tuesday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed two motions in federal court related to the grand jury indictment returned last week and announced at a press conference by Department of Justice (DOJ) officials. The motions follow the false statements by acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche in press and media interviews about the indictment and assert, in part, that the SPLC deserves to know whether the same or similar false statements were made in secret to the grand jury.
Specifically, Blanche said publicly that the government had “no information” that “suggests that” the SPLC “shared what they learned [from the informant program] with law enforcement.” Among other examples, in fact the SPLC shared information from the informant program with law enforcement about the planned “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
Blanche’s statement is untrue, and the SPLC argues to the court that the government knows or should have known it. In fact, the SPLC collected voluminous and detailed information about the risk of violence, potential perpetrators and even the potential weapons that could be used at the Charlottesville rally through its informants and compiled this in a lengthy report sent to numerous law enforcement agencies, including to the FBI’s Mobile, Alabama, office ahead of the event.
“The information that the SPLC shared with the FBI over the last 40 years saved lives,” said Bryan Fair, interim president and CEO, SPLC. “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. When threats and other unlawful activity were revealed, the SPLC immediately passed that information to law enforcement officials, local, state and federal and assisted in efforts to prevent violence and stop criminal activity.”
In 2019, the SPLC provided information to law enforcement about a planned attack by a member of the white supremacist extremist group Atomwaffen Division, who intended to engage in a major terrorist attack against Las Vegas citizens. The SPLC’s information led to the individual being charged and convicted — and thwarted the planned attack.
Prior to the indictment, attorneys for the SPLC met with prosecutors and presented specific information and documents of scenarios in which the SPLC shared information from the informant program with law enforcement. That information led to a criminal conviction of an individual that the government identified as dangerous and who lied about his affiliation with an extremist group in seeking national security clearance.
These examples demonstrate the SPLC’s long history of assisting law enforcement through its informant program and cut against the false statements made by Administration officials about the indictment; moreover, they contradict allegations underlying the indictment itself, as the SPLC argues.
Given the inappropriate and false information being shared by Blanche and others, the SPLC is also seeking to receive a full or partial transcript to the grand jury to ensure false statements or misinformation were not used to secure an indictment. Further, the motions seek to prevent further prejudicial statements about the SPLC being made as the investigation continues.
“We strongly deny the allegations in the indictment and their falsity is already being exposed in our court filings. The government is blatantly mischaracterizing our efforts to successfully fight hatred and violent extremism, something we have done for decades. At one moment, they are appreciating our work in destroying the Klan and now, they are saying the SPLC funded and promoted the Klan,” Fair continued. “The informant program was successful in accomplishing its purposes: Threats and attacks were prevented, criminal activity was stopped, and information was gathered to dismantle the efforts of hate and extremist groups. There is no question that what we learned from informants saved lives.”
The link to the motions can be found here and here.
