EXCLUSIVE — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is being asked to strip the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) of its tax-exempt status, after a Republican congressman alleged their funding of extremist groups is "an act of fraud."The plea from Rep.Mark Harris, R-N.C., makes the case that while raking in millions under the guise of fighting hate, the SPLC showed a clear pattern of targeting conservatives on its infamous "Hate Map" while funding the activities of actual extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, as alleged in a Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment."The SPLC has reached a point where it's become extremely obvious that they are certainly not the organization anymore that they were maybe even founded to be, but they've become a strong left-wing political organization that is really just funding groups that most Americans are absolutely and would be absolutely appalled to know," Harris told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday interview.Rep.
Mark Harris questions Special Counsel Jack Smith during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan.22, 2026.
Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump, including 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Al Drago/Getty Images)The lawmaker's letter to Bessent establishes that a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization "must be organized and operated primarily for charitable, educational, or similar purposes and cannot engage in political activity," and explains why he thinks the SPLC is bucking that law.CHIEF OF INDICTED SPLCE FACES HOUSE GRILLING OVER ALLEGED SECRET PAYMENTS TO KKK MEMBERS"[T]he SPLC has consistently engaged in the partisan targeting of conservative groups by placing them on its so-called 'hate map,' alongside organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Brotherhood," the letter notes."Meanwhile, violent left-wing groups such as Antifa and Jane’s Revenge have been widely...