Montgomery, Alaa.. The Alabama Attorney General announced a civil investigation Monday into the Southern Poverty Law Center’s fundraising practices following an incident Federal indictment against the organization.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said he sent a subpoena to the center seeking information about his donations and payments to informants. He said he is seeking to determine whether the organization violated state laws regarding charitable organizations or deceptive business practices.
“We look forward to learning more about the inner workings of an organization that we have long believed to be corrupt, but until recently was impregnable,” Marshall said in a press release.
The SPLC provided a brief response Monday. “We have received notice of the subpoena and are currently reviewing it,” a company spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement.
The state investigation comes after the US Department of Justice announced a criminal indictment against the organization, accusing it of fraud by using funds to pay informants within extremist groups. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the group of “manufacturing racism to justify its existence.”
The SPLC called the accusation “patently false” and said the informant program gathered intelligence to help stop attacks and dismantle hate group efforts. The organization said federal officials have long known about the program and this information was shared with law enforcement.
The organization, which has a reputation for investigating hate groups, has often clashed in legal cases with conservative groups, President Donald Trump’s administration and Marshall’s office. The center has been a frequent critic of the Trump administration’s policies.