Martin Mawyer
For years, Christian Action Network has appeared on the infamous “hate” list published by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
And let’s be honest about what that means.
That label is not just criticism or bad-reputation branding. It carries consequences. Real ones.
We’ve seen financial institutions kick us to the curb. We’ve seen vital services, such as company insurance providers, push us out the door.
Online stores, such as Zazzle, have suspended our account even for buying coffee cups. Discover Card won’t allow our supporters to donate to Christian Action Network. Major merchant account providers such as WePay and QuickBooks have banned us from using their services.
Media outlets have canceled scheduled appearances.
And every time that list is updated, our name is pushed back into the spotlight, forcing us to defend ourselves all over again.
That is the reality of being labeled as a hate group.
So when the Department of Justice announces a federal grand jury indictment against the SPLC, we are not casual observers.
But let me say something clearly and fairly.
These are allegations. An indictment is not a conviction. In this country, guilt must be proven before a jury. Those principal matters apply here just as they should for anyone else.
Now…with that said…
What If These Allegations Are True?
According to the Department of Justice, the SPLC allegedly “secretly funneled more than $3 million in donated funds” to individuals associated with violent extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, and the National Socialist Party of America.
That’s not just a serious accusation, it’s nuclear – funding the very groups they claim should be shut down because of their hateful violence.
The indictment further alleges the existence of a “covert network” of individuals either connected to those groups or who had infiltrated them at the SPLC’s direction.
And then comes the part that should stop every American in their tracks.
In the DOJ’s own release, FBI leadership is quoted as alleging that the SPLC not only paid leaders of extremist groups but also utilized funds in a way that had those groups facilitate the commission of state and federal crimes.
In other words, the SPLC was allegedly helping fund groups to commit crimes and then raise money to have those groups shut down!
The SPLC has officially denied these allegations, stating that its informant program was intended to monitor threats and save lives.
But according to the indictment, this was not an isolated practice. Federal prosecutors allege the SPLC operated a long-running covert program, dating back decades, in which paid “field sources” were used to infiltrate extremist groups.
More Serious Allegations
The indictment claims the SPLC paid approximately $270,000 to an individual involved in the leadership group that helped plan the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
According to the charges, that individual made racist postings and assisted in coordinating logistics for the event while receiving funds connected to the SPLC.
And the SPLC calls this monitoring? Having a paid informant send out racist posts? And meanwhile…during this event…the SPLC was sounding the alarm about this racist gathering and raising money!
Prosecutors further allege that between 2014 and 2023, more than $3 million in donor funds were funneled through concealed channels, including shell entities and layered financial transactions, before being distributed to individuals associated with extremist groups.
These are not minor allegations. If proven, they describe a system that goes far beyond advocacy and into something far more troubling.
If that is proven in court, then we are not looking at a simple financial case.
We are looking at something far more disturbing, unethical, criminal, deceptive, and fraudulent.
For those of us who have lived under that label, that possibility is not theoretical.
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It Is Personal…
Because Christian Action Network and many others have spent years being publicly branded, isolated, and treated as untouchable based on the authority of that label. We’ve had to defend ourselves repeatedly, while institutions took the SPLC’s word as fact.
So no, we are not neutral in this.
We are among those who have borne the consequences.
But we are also not naïve.
This case will take time. The SPLC will fight it at every level, as is its right. Motions will be filed. Arguments will be made. And the longer this stretches out, the more the environment around the case can shift, including leadership within the Department of Justice.
So this is not the end of anything.
Not yet.
But if these allegations are proven, then the country will be forced to confront a question it has avoided for far too long:
What happens when the organization that has spent decades labeling others is itself exposed to the very kind of scrutiny it helped create?
Because after years of being on the receiving end, we understand something clearly.
Accountability only matters if it actually happens.
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Martin Mawyer is the founder of the Digital Intelligence Project and the President of Christian Action Network. He is the host of the “Shout Out Patriots” podcast, and author of When Evil Stops Hiding. For more action alerts, cultural commentary, and real-world campaigns defending faith, family, and freedom, subscribe to Patriot Majority Report.