FBI cuts ties with SPLC after ending ADL partnership

FBI Director Kash Patel has severed the agency's ties with the Southern Poverty Law Center, a left-wing civil rights advocacy group that has faced scrutiny from conservatives in recent years.

"The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine," Patel posted on X. "Their so-called 'hate map' has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence. That disgraceful record makes them unfit for any FBI partnership."

"In April, during our Anti-Christian Bias Panel, I made it clear that the FBI will never rely on politicized or agenda-driven intelligence from outside groups — and certainly not from the SPLC.

Under this FBI, all ties with the SPLC have officially been terminated," he added.

The move follows Patel cutting ties with the Anti-Defamation League, an antisemitism watchdog group that has long faced allegations of political bias and anti-Christian sentiment.

The FBI previously used the ADL and SPLC as sources for defining and tracking extremist groups, leading to a number of controversial incidents. A 2022 scandal involving the Richmond Field Office and a memo suggesting that traditional Catholics could be potential extremists saw the bureau cite the SPLC, for instance.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.