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FIRST ON FOX: SPLC’s legal woes grow as Jim Jordan fires latest salvo at left-wing group
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FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee escalated scrutiny of the Southern Poverty Law Center on Thursday, demanding documents from the nonprofit after a federal indictment alleged the group funneled millions in donor funds to extremist organizations.
Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, wrote in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital to SPLC President Bryan Fair that the GOP-led committee was investigating any coordination between the SPLC and the Biden Department of Justice and FBI, both of which had used the left-wing nonprofit as a resource.
Jordan demanded a slate of documents from the SPLC by April 30, a request that comes after his Republican counterparts in the Senate also ramped up scrutiny of the SPLC and after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche hinted at more possible indictments related to the group.
The intensifying investigations into the SPLC, expanding from the DOJ to Congress, come after Jordan’s committee previously investigated the group, saying it was known for «maligning several mainstream conservative and religious organizations as ‘hate groups,’» such as Moms for Liberty and Turning Point USA, and that the Biden DOJ improperly used it for civil rights enforcement.
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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speaks during a committee session. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
«Publicly available documents revealed how the Justice Department partnered closely with the SPLC during the Biden-Harris Administration, including scheduling regular meetings, giving the SPLC early access to federal law-enforcement data, and allowing SPLC employees to train federal prosecutors,» Jordan wrote. «The new information about the SPLC alleged in the indictment only raises further questions.»
Jordan also noted that a controversial internal memo originating from the FBI Richmond Field Office during Director Christopher Wray’s tenure, which framed so-called radical-traditionalist Catholics as a group of people more prone to violent crime, used the SPLC as a source for its findings. The memo surfaced in 2023, with Wray later retracting it and saying it was an «appalling» breach of religious freedom.
Jordan’s letter pointed out that the Richmond memo was among more than a dozen FBI documents that used the SPLC as a resource.
The DOJ on Tuesday charged the SPLC with several counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit money laundering, alleging the group defrauded donors for more than a decade.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a press conference alongside FBI Director Kash Patel at the Department of Justice April 21, 2026, in Washington, D.C., about the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center on charges related to money laundering. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Prosecutors said the nonprofit, which promotes its efforts to fight White supremacy, misled donors by using shell companies to mask how donor funds were used. More than $3 million was paid through the shell companies to informants who participated in activities involving the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement, among others, prosecutors alleged.
«The SPLC’s paid informants … engaged in the active promotion of racist groups at the same time that the SPLC was denouncing the same groups on its website,» prosecutors wrote, noting one informant allegedly went so far as to help plan the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
«Congress has an important interest in protecting Americans from extremist violence and criminal activity,» Jordan wrote in his letter. «The Committee on the Judiciary has been conducting oversight of the Biden-Harris Administration’s close coordination with the SPLC on federal civil rights matters.»
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Neo-Nazis, the alt-right and White supremacists take part in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. (Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday set its sights on a woman previously affiliated with the SPLC who was a federal judge and Biden appointee serving a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
«Every individual associated with SPLC should have to answer for what they knew about the organization’s extremist ties, and when,» committee Republicans wrote in a statement on X.
«That includes Nancy Abudu, SPLC’s former litigation director who Biden appointed as a lifetime judge on the 11th Circuit.»
Just before the DOJ announced charges, Fair said in a public statement that the federal investigation was political rather than sincere.
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«They have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy,» Fair said, noting the group no longer works with paid informants but adding they had «risked their lives» to infiltrate extremist groups.
Fox News Digital reached out to the SPLC and Abudu’s chambers for comment.
house of representatives politics, jim jordan, politics, justice department
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Progressive Dems’ full-throated Platner endorsements come back to haunt them after rape allegations
Bill McGurn discusses Maine Democrat Graham Platner’s mounting controversies
Fox News contributor Bill McGurn discusses Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s mounting controversies, including resurfaced Reddit posts, a Nazi symbol tattoo and sexually explicit messages. Democrats are now pushing Platner to exit the race following recent sexual assault allegations, raising questions about prior endorsements despite his problematic history.
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After Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner was accused of drunkenly raping a woman, a litany of progressive Democrats are tucking tail and heading for the hills as their ringing endorsements of the continuously embattled candidate come back to haunt them.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at an April rally that Platner is, «My kind of man.»
She issued a statement Monday night after allegations emerged that Platner drunkenly raped 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot in 2021.
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to an overflow crowd outside a campaign event Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
«Now more than ever we need leaders in Washington who reflect our values. There can be no tolerance for sexual assault,» Warren’s statement said.
«Working families are counting on Democrats to win the Senate election in Maine to unrig our economy and hold Donald Trump accountable. With so much at stake, the best path forward is for Graham Platner to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside this Senate race.»
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A spokesperson for Warren did not answer specific questions about whether the senator regretted backing Platner, who has not dropped out of the race as of Tuesday morning, through his numerous prior scandals.
Progressives supported Platner despite a months-long series of damning scandals, including the revelation that the candidate had a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest. He was also exposed for infidelity to his wife, making lewd Reddit comments about masturbating in portable toilets on a now-deleted account and mocking a Purple Heart veteran.
He also faced accusations last month of physical misconduct and violence against an ex-girlfriend who was then smeared as a conservative political operative.
Ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questions Kevin Warsh, nominee to chairman of the Federal Reserve, during his Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has so far been silent on the rape allegations. In a June statement, he said he would «do everything I can to make sure that Graham Platner is the next Senator from the state of Maine.» That could now be put to the test.
The left-wing commentariat played a massive role in propping Platner up.
Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders’ office for comment, but did not hear back at time of publishing.
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Former Obama aides Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor, who now host the «Pod Save America» podcast, were chief among those supporting Platner’s rise in the Democratic Party.
«Graham Platner isn’t just our best and only chance to beat Susan Collins, he’s a good, decent man who’s struggled and grown and is always trying to do better,» Favreau said on X in April, well after the Reddit post and Nazi tattoo scandals.
Favreau changed his tune Monday night.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner stand together during a «Fighting Oligarchy» tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, on May 24, 2026. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
«Platner needs to drop out ASAP – these are awful, credible allegations,» he posted. «Said on the pod after the (also credible) June NYT story that his biggest problem going forward would be credibility. It’s now abundantly clear that he just hasn’t been honest about his past and can’t be trusted as a candidate for office.»
Vietor defended Platner after Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., who is Jewish, condemned the candidate’s Nazi-linked tattoo and Reddit posts as «disqualifying» in May.
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«Have you called or met with him to discuss it?» Vietor asked Auchincloss on X.
Vietor had also interviewed Platner after those scandals.
But he, too, reversed course on Monday night.
«This story is really bad, well-documented and credible, and obviously the right course of action for Platner is to drop out as soon as possible so that Maine democrats can get a replacement on the ballot,» he said.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guests Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett & Tommy Vietor during Monday’s January 20, 2025 show. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
Pfeiffer followed suit.
«The allegations against Graham Platner are well-documented, very credible, and highly disturbing. He should drop out ASAP,» he said, on X.
Lovett didn’t make a statement, but posted a clip of Monday’s episode of «Pod Save America,» where despite his apology, Vietor jumped straight back to politics and remarked that he was, «very worried now about the prospect of winning this seat» but said the Democratic Party, «could ultimately be in a stronger place politically.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Crooked Media, the parent company of «Pod Save America,» but did not hear back.
PLATNER’S LATEST ACCUSER CLAIMS THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ RAPED HER
Some not only failed to condemn Platner, but instead took offensive positions.
«Graham Platner may drop out. (I hope he doesn’t, but.) Meanwhile, the Abuser in Chief just keeps on keepin’ on,» author Stephen King wrote on X, referring to allegations against President Donald Trump over the years.
King followed-up with another post claiming everyone in politics in Washington, D.C. is corrupt.
«Tell you what–if you knew the whole truth about everyone in the Senate and House of Reps, those chambers would be dead empty. Jesus said, ‘Let him without sin cast the first stone.’»
Cenk Uygur, Founder and CEO of TYT attends The Young Turks (TYT) 20th Anniversary Celebration at YouTube Space LA on May 25, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Anna Webber/Getty Images for TYT)
Far-left media personality Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks spent much of Monday blaming everyone but Platner for the scandal, including the media and the «Israeli lobby.»
«Congratulations to national media on politically assassinating Graham Platner,» he said in one post. «If he drops out and Democratic Party tries to give us two candidates who are both for Israel and corporate pacs [sic], they’ll face a revolt like they’ve never seen. Days of bull—- false choices are over.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Uygur.
Ryan Grim, formerly of The Intercept, spent ages defending Platner online.
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«Democrats need people like Platner if they are going to come to terms with the true nature of our country, with what we have done to people at home and abroad, and pull together the coalition needed to heal and reshape it,» he said in a June post regarding an opinion piece that promoted Platner.
He reported on X Monday night that Platner «lost his base,» but did not address the rape allegations or his support for the candidate directly.
Grim did not return a Fox News Digital comment request.
Others prominent Democrats who abandoned the Platner ship include Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
graham platner, politics, chuck schumer, elizabeth warren, bernie sanders, campaigning
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Video shows bomb rock Damascus hotel where French President Macron is staying during Syrian state visit
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A pair of explosions rocked the Syrian capital of Damascus near the downtown Four Seasons hotel, where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during a state visit, Syrian state media reported Tuesday.
Eighteen people, including four police officers, were injured by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on Tuesday, Syria’s interior ministry reported through state outlet SANA.
According to the ministry, both bombs exploded after security forces had discovered them, «while preparations for the disposal operation were underway.»
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The bombs were placed inside a car and a garbage can near the hotel where Macron was staying during his visit, the first Syrian state visit by the leader of a Western country since Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa took over for the now-deposed former President Bashar al-Assad in 2025.
A spokesman for Élysée Palace said Macron was not in his hotel during the explosions and didn’t even hear them. He continued his visit with al-Sharaa, according to both Élysée Palace and SANA.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa at the People’s Palace in Damascus, July 7, 2026. (Reuters/Mahmoud Hassano)
While not commenting on the explosions directly, Macron posted a statement on X shortly after the incident.
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«Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria. This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage, and determination. My visit continues,» he wrote.
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa greets supporters after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., NOV. 10, 2025. (Lubna Allababidi/Handout via Reuters)
Syria’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed the explosions but stressed that they were outside the security perimeter designated for Macron.
«We confirm that the explosion site is outside the security perimeter designated for the French president’s residence. It posed no direct threat to the residence or the official visit program, which is proceeding as planned,» the ministry announced through SANA.
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An ambulance drives past the site where explosive devices blew up near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. (Reuters/Yamam Al Shaar)
Macron is the first Western leader to meet with al-Sharaa in Damascus since he became the country’s president in 2025. Some have criticized Western leaders, including President Donald Trump, who hosted al-Sharaa in the White House in November, for normalizing relations with al-Sharaa given his past as a fighter for the al Qaeda terrorist group.
Tuesday’s explosions in Damascus were also the second and third major blasts in Damascus in less than a week.
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On Monday, France’s government condemned what it called a «terrorist attack» after an explosive device killed at least nine people in a Damascus cafe on July 2.
Syrian authorities are still investigating the attack and have not publicly ascribed it to any group or individual, according to The Washington Post.
Fox News Digital contacted the Syrian Foreign Ministry and Élysée Palace for confirmation and further details.
emmanuel macron, syria, world, bombings, terrorism
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