A justice department lawyer working in Todd Blanche’s office pressured prosecutors to file criminal charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) despite their concerns about the strength of the case, a whistleblower told House Democrats.
The lawyer, Aakash Singh, reportedly “ordered” federal prosecutors in Alabama to “to rush through the indictment of the SPLC, despite serious concerns about the strength of the case”, Jamie Raskin and Mary Gay Scanlon said in a letter on Friday. The Democrats also said they were opening an investigation into the matter. The letter was first reported by MS Now.
Blanche, the acting US attorney general, held a press conference announcing the 11-count indictment on 21 April, accusing the civil rights organization of committing wire fraud, making a false statement to a bank, and conspiring to launder money. The charges were in connection with a now-defunct program in which the SPLC paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups and then shared information with law enforcement.
The organization has denied all wrongdoing and legal experts have said the charges are weak. The indictment was widely seen as part of Blanche’s effort to show Donald Trump he can effectively use the justice department to punish political rivals as he seeks to get tapped to be the attorney general permanently.
The US attorney for the middle district of Alabama declined to comment. The justice department did not respond to a request for comment.
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