DOJ rushed indictment of SPLC, according to whistleblower reports

Source: MS NOW News

May. 1, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT


A senior Trump administration Justice Department official ordered federal prosecutors in Alabama to “rush through” a controversial indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center despite concerns about the strength of the case, according to a description of a whistleblower account obtained exclusively by MS NOW. Rep. Jamie Raskin, ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government, describe the whistleblower allegations in a letter sent Thursday to Kevin Davidson, the acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.

“According to whistleblower information provided to this Committee, Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh ordered your office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama, to rush through the indictment of the SPLC, despite serious concerns about the strength of the case,” the letter said.

The letter asks Davidson to turn over records regarding his office’s use of SPLC informants and information in criminal or civil matters from 1996 to 2026, as well as all communications — including emails, phone calls and text messages — among his office, Aakash Singh, Justice Department leadership and others from January 2025 concerning the investigation and indictment of the SPLC.

As the minority party, the Democrats lack the leverage to force the Justice Department to produce documents. They would gain subpoena power next year if they retake the House in the fall. Raskin’s letter did not make clear who in the Alabama U.S. attorney’s office was raising questions about the SPLC case or how they did so.

Read more: https://www.ms.now/news/doj-rushed-indictment-of-splc-according-to-whistleblower-reports

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Link to House Judiciary Committee Democrats PRESS RELEASE - Ranking Members Raskin, Scanlon Launch Inquiry into Trump DOJ’s Abusive and Baseless Prosecution of Southern Poverty Law Center

LINKS TO LETTERS (inquiries) (PDFs)

To ADAG Aakash Singh - https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026-04-30-raskin-scanlon-to-singh-doj-re-splc-and-first-amendment.pdf

To Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama Kevin Davidson - https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026-04-30-raskin-scanlon-to-davidson-mdal-re-splc-and-first-amendment.pdf