The Southern Poverty Law Center built a national reputation by tracking extremists, publishing its controversial “hate” designations, and warning Americans about organizations it said posed a threat.
Now the organization that spent decades scrutinizing others is facing extraordinary scrutiny of its own.
Federal prosecutors have charged former SPLC Intelligence Project leader Heidi Beirich as part of a widening criminal case involving allegations that millions of dollars in donated funds were secretly directed to paid sources associated with white supremacist and extremist organizations. Beirich has pleaded not guilty, and her attorney says the prosecution is politically motivated.
