The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a prominent civil rights organisation, has announced it is the subject of a criminal investigation by the US Justice Department. The probe reportedly stems from the SPLC's historical use of paid informants.
Bryan Fair, the organisation's CEO, confirmed on Tuesday that the SPLC now faces potential charges over its practice of deploying informants to infiltrate extremist groups. Mr Fair defended the strategy, stating that the SPLC has encountered "credible threats of violence" and that intelligence gathered by these informants "helped saved lives." He added that this information was frequently shared with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
