Senate

Schumer: Trump turning DOJ into ‘Department of Vengeance’ with SPLC investigation

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by Tara Suter - 04/22/26 3:01 PM ET

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by Tara Suter - 04/22/26 3:01 PM ET

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that President Trump is turning the Department of Justice (DOJ) into the “Department of Vengeance” with a recent indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

“I just want to say a quick word about the deeply disturbing charges the Justice Department has brought against the Southern Poverty Law Center. These charges should send a chill down the spine of every American who cares about free expression and the rule of law in the Justice Department. It should send a chill down the spine of every American who cares about civil liberties and the fight against [violent] extremism,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced an 11-count indictment against the SPLC, including bank and wire fraud, with the charges linked to a defunct program that used paid informants to monitor extremist groups.

The indictment discusses multiple informants employed by the SPLC, with some monitoring the planning for the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, a neo-nazi group, the Klu Klux Klan and other white supremacist and antisemitic groups.

“Let’s be clear what this case is all about — is all — is really about. It has nothing to do with alleged wire fraud or with the Southern Poverty Law Center somehow working in coordination with the KKK. That’s ridiculous on its [face]. It doesn’t pass the laugh test. It’s about Donald Trump turning the Department of Justice into the Department of Vengeance, his own attack dog,” Schumer said.

The SPLC has recently been in the crosshairs of the right because of its work monitoring extremist groups, including right-wing groups like the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche alleged that the SPLC paid “sources to stoke racial hatred.”

“To that end, it was doing the exact opposite of what it’s told its donors. It was not dismantling extremism, but funding it,” he said.

“To carry out this scheme, SPLC created bank accounts in the name of at least five completely fictitious organizations that had no bona fide employees or legitimate business purpose,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

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