The Department of Justice filed an 11-count indictment in April accusing the Southern Poverty Law Center of secretly funneling more than $3 million to informants in extremist groups and concealing those payments. Sen. Jon Ossoff accepted an endorsement and received over $700,000 from the SPLC’s 501(c)(4) affiliate in 2020; he has not publicly addressed the indictment. Prosecutors highlighted an informant allegedly tied to planning the 2017 Charlottesville rally. The development has become a campaign issue as Ossoff heads into a competitive 2026 re-election bid.
Jon Ossoff Faces Scrutiny After Receiving $700K From SPLC Affiliate Following DOJ Indictment
Jon Ossoff silent on SPLC indictment after taking more than $700K from affiliate of indicted group
Federal prosecutors' criminal indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in April has reverberated through Georgia's 2026 Senate race, placing renewed scrutiny on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff for his past ties to the organization.
The Department of Justice filed an 11-count indictment alleging the Alabama-based civil rights nonprofit covertly routed money to extremist groups between 2014 and 2023 and concealed those transactions from donors and authorities. Prosecutors say the SPLC paid more than $3 million to informants tied to organizations including the United Klans of America and Aryan Nations and used fictitious bank accounts to hide the payments. The charges include bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) building seen in March 2020 in Montgomery, Alabama.(Getty Images)
Sen. Ossoff accepted an endorsement from the SPLC’s 501(c)(4) affiliate and, according to Federal Election Commission filings, received more than $700,000 from that affiliate in 2020. Ossoff has previously praised the SPLC’s work; in a 2021 video marking the nonprofit’s 50th anniversary he thanked the organization for "decades of work defending civil rights" and called for "love, tolerance and peaceful coexistence."
Prosecutors say one informant paid more than $270,000 belonged to an online group implicated in planning the deadly 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The indictment alleges the SPLC directed the informant to attend the rally and that the informant made racist postings on the group’s behalf. Thirty-two-year-old Heather Heyer was killed and nearly 20 others were injured when a vehicle struck counter‑protesters at the event.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., has not commented on the Southern Poverty Law Center indictment despite his past ties to the group.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the SPLC "was not dismantling these groups" and instead allegedly "manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred." SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair called the charges politically motivated and defended a now‑defunct program as lifesaving.
The indictment has become a political flashpoint. The Republican National Committee criticized Ossoff for keeping money from an affiliate of the indicted group, while Ossoff’s campaign has not publicly responded to multiple requests for comment about the grand jury charges.
University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., and Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., are aiming to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in November's midterm elections.
Electoral Context
Ossoff is considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats running in 2026. He faces a crowded Republican primary that includes Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter of Georgia and former University of Tennessee coach Derek Dooley. The GOP challengers have raised far less than Ossoff’s reported $31.7 million campaign war chest. In early April, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the race to "Lean Democrat," citing a national environment increasingly unfavorable to Republicans.
The legal process against the SPLC is ongoing and any political fallout for Ossoff will depend in part on developments in the case and whether he addresses questions about the donation and endorsement.
Help us improve.
