House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has formally requested that Attorney General Pam Bondi turn over all documents related to the Department of Justice’s coordination with the Southern Poverty Law Center during the Biden-Harris administration, citing concerns of political bias and the weaponization of federal law enforcement.
In a Tuesday letter, Jordan said the committee is investigating the DOJ and FBI for targeting conservative Americans, alleging that under former Attorney General Merrick Garland, the DOJ “colluded with the radical, left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center on matters relating to federal civil rights enforcement.”
The letter cites documents obtained by America First Legal showing that the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division partnered with the SPLC by holding regular meetings, providing early access to law enforcement data, and allowing SPLC staff to train DOJ prosecutors. Jordan also pointed to a DOJ memo that relied on SPLC material to target “radical traditional Catholics” and noted repeated meetings between then-Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke and SPLC officials.
Jordan wrote that the SPLC routinely labels conservative and religious organizations such as Turning Point USA, Family Research Council, and Moms for Liberty as “hate groups” based solely on ideological disagreement. He said the DOJ’s close relationship with the group, despite its political bias, further demonstrates federal weaponization.
The Judiciary Committee is demanding all DOJ records related to interactions between the Civil Rights Division and the SPLC, including communications, meetings, trainings, funding used to support joint activity, and any DOJ use of SPLC material, covering the period from Jan. 20, 2021, through Jan. 20, 2025.
Read Jordan’s letter to the DOJ
