Southern Poverty Law Center head Bryan Fair defended the left-wing organization’s decision to list mainstream conservative groups on its «hate map» during a fiery hearing Tuesday.

Fair, SPLC’s interim executive, doubled down on the group’s designation of Turning Point USA, a conservative activist organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, as extremist when pressed by GOP lawmakers. Turning Point was listed alongside White supremacist and neo-Nazi groups in the law center’s 2025 «Year in Hate & Extremism» report released Tuesday. 

The exchange comes as Republicans scrutinize the law center’s close ties to the Biden administration amid the Department of Justice’s pending criminal case against the nonprofit over alleged financial crimes.

«Will you recant it, or are you going to double down and say that these people, including the martyred Charlie Kirk, in fact, somehow deserve to be on your hate list?» Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., asked Fair.

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«Congressman, as I said in my statement,» Fair began answering, referring to his opening remarks in which he said he could not address certain topics due to the ongoing criminal probe. 

«No, wait a second,» Issa interjected. «I heard your statement. I only want an answer to your question in the 11 seconds left. Are you going to recant, yes or no? And if you’re not going to, please don’t tell me it’s because now you’re under charges.»

«Your organization did it as much as 16 years ago. Will you take back any part of that?» the California lawmaker continued.

Fair replied, «The SPLC will continue to expose hate and extremism.»

The nonprofit head also defended Turning Point’s «hate map» designation when questioned by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.

«It is our position that TPUSA expresses views and vilifies other people based on immutable characteristics, exposing them to our listing,» Fair told Roy.

Roy said he would introduce legislation to revoke the law center’s tax-exempt status following the exchange.

Charlie Kirk throws hats to the crowd after arriving at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

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Turning Point spokesman Andrew Kolvet slammed Fair’s remarks in a post on social media. «Badge of honor,» Kolvet wrote in a statement following the exchange. «Screw the SPLC.»

The hearing came after the Justice Department filed an 11-count indictment against the law center in April over allegedly defrauding its donors by concealing payments to informants within extremist organizations while publicly professing to combat racism.

Fair has denied any wrongdoing and has argued the DOJ charges are politically motivated.

He also dismissed GOP criticisms that the organization has unfairly labeled conservative groups as extremist while ignoring left-wing groups that espouse antisemitism. 

Fair struggled to answer Tuesday when asked by Roy if the law center has labeled any anti-Israel or Islamist groups as extremist.

«Some say we’ve lost our way,» Fair told lawmakers. «That’s false. We’ve never lost our North Star: a fair and just society for every person. All our programs advance that mission.»

Democrats largely defended the law center during the contentious hearing.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, vowed Tuesday to introduce legislation revoking the SPLC’s tax-exempt status. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

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«The SPLC is an enduring institutional beacon of hope for millions of people seeking to create a more perfect union,» House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in his opening statement. «The Trump administration is thus naturally trying to tear it down.»

Fox News Digital reached out to TPUSA for comment.

A man in his 40s was hospitalized with serious injuries after a brutal knife attack in Northern Ireland, as police arrested a Sudanese migrant on suspicion of attempted murder. 

The attack happened shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday in north Belfast, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The victim suffered serious injuries to his face, neck, back and eyes, while police said they recovered what they believe was a kitchen knife at the scene.

Video circulating online appeared to show members of the public confronting the attacker, including one person wielding a hurling stick. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson praised the bystanders as «heroic,» saying their intervention helped save the victim’s life, according to the BBC.

Police initially said the suspect was Somali but later corrected that he is believed to be Sudanese, describing the change as part of a «fast-time investigation.» Henderson said police understand the suspect came into Northern Ireland from Dublin, Ireland and had been granted leave to remain, though he said the Home Office would provide further clarity on his status.

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«At this stage, we have no information to suggest that this was a terrorist-related incident,» Henderson said, while stressing that the investigation remains in its early stages. «However, I must stress, we are still at the early stages of our investigation,» he said, according to The Sun.

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that the attack exposed what he described as failures in Britain’s immigration system.

«Britain’s broken border and migration system has been put into stark relief once more with this tragic — and entirely avoidable — case,» Mendoza said. «This man should never ever have been in the U.K., let alone been granted ‘leave to remain.’ The Irish border is the soft underbelly for a process the British public has long since lost confidence in, as well as in those administering it politically. Nothing short of a revolution in who we allow into the U.K. and how will satisfy a people fed up with false promises about immigration change.»

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Police work at the scene of a stabbing on Kinnaird Avenue in north Belfast, Northern Ireland, on June 9, 2026. Northern Ireland police said Tuesday they had arrested a man following a «stabbing incident» in Belfast, with graphic online video prompting widespread condemnation and protest calls from UK far-right figures. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the arrested man was in his 30s, believed to be Somali, and had been detained on suspicion of attempted murder following the «serious assault involving a knife». (Photo by Paul Faith / AFP via Getty Images)

The swift response from Prime Minister Keir Starmer marked a notable contrast with the case of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old who was stabbed and then handcuffed by police after his attacker accused him of making racist remarks. Starmer faced criticism from some conservatives over his response to that case.

Keir Starmer, UK prime minister, during a news conference providing an update on the situation in the Middle East, at Downing Street in London, UK, on Thursday, March 5, 2026.  (Tolga Akmen/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Starmer quickly posted on X that the attack was «sickening,» adding: «I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.» He said his thoughts were with the victim and thanked first responders, including members of the public who intervened.

The attack prompted political reaction across the U.K. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called on authorities to reveal the suspect’s identity and immigration status.

«What happened in Belfast last night is horrific. The authorities must reveal the identity and status of the attacker immediately. The public are entitled to the truth,» Farage wrote on X.

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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks during a press conference in Westminster, United Kingdom on June 10, 2025.  ( Thomas Krych/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Robert Jenrick also wrote on X: «We’ve woken up to truly barbaric footage on a street in Belfast. Of a kind you’d think you’d never see in this country. For years now I’ve urged the police to spell out the basic, sober facts, as they have them, when there are horrors like this.»

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said people would ask whether there had been «failings around our borders,» according to GB News.

Northern Ireland’s main political parties issued a joint statement condemning the violence and urging the public not to share graphic footage of the attack.

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«There is no place in our society for this kind of brutality. Our immediate thoughts are with the victim and his family, and we hope he makes a full and complete recovery,» the parties said, according to GB News.

Police said they had declared a critical incident and would increase their presence across Northern Ireland amid calls for protests. Officials urged calm and asked the public to allow the investigation to proceed.

One week after President Donald Trump’s endorsement-winning streak in high-profile Republican primaries was snapped, the president’s immense clout over his party is facing another key test in South Carolina’s GOP gubernatorial nomination face-off.

A week and a half ago, the president handed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette 11th-hour support as she seeks to succeed a top Trump ally, term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.

Evette is facing off in the GOP primary against a handful of top rivals. They are longtime South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy.

Since no candidate was expected to top 50% of the primary vote and land a majority, the top two finishers will advance to the June 23 Republican runoff.

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The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past month, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas that grabbed plenty of national attention.

But Trump’s last-minute endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds — which came on the same day he also backed Evette — wasn’t enough to muscle the three-term congressman to victory.

Feenstra was narrowly edged out by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

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Zach Lahn raises his fist in celebration after defeating his primary opponent in Iowa’s GOP gubernatorial race on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Zach Lahn for Governor via Facebook)

In the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary, the major contenders had long been highlighting their support for Trump and his agenda in hopes of landing his support.

Trump, after staying neutral for months, endorsed Evette, praising her as an «America First Patriot» and a «WINNER» in his announcement.

The president also headlined a tele-rally for Evette on the eve of the primary.

Hours later, on the morning of the primary, Evette once again spotlighted the president’s backing of her campaign.

In a social media post, she wrote that Trump «needs a strong partner as Governor who will deliver on our conservative America First agenda. It’s why he gave me his ‘complete and total endorsement.’ Don’t let President Trump down. Get to the polls, bring your friends & family, and VOTE EVETTE!»

But Trump, in a social media post endorsing Evette, also said he expected Evette to choose Henry McMaster Jr., the governor’s son, as her running mate for lieutenant governor.

The comment by the president led to blowback in South Carolina political circles and speculation that McMaster, who succeeded then-Gov. Nikki Haley when she stepped down to serve as U.N. ambassador during Trump’s first term and who is in his 10th year as governor, was trying to give his son a political boost.

But McMaster denied any deal or pressure, and Evette has said she wouldn’t name any running mate until after the primary is over.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette stand on stage during an election night watch party at the State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 24, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

And on Friday, the younger McMaster took his name out of contention, saying it was «incredibly humbling» to be mentioned as a possible lieutenant governor candidate, but that «now is simply not the right time.»

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Pointing to what he said was a smaller-than-expected bounce in the polls for Evette, longtime South Carolina political strategist Dave Wilson told Fox News Digital he thinks the Trump endorsement «backfired» because of the president’s push for the younger McMaster to join the Evette ticket.

«In South Carolina, we really don’t take it very well when Washington tries to tell us what to do,» Wilson emphasized.