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What is SPLC 'hate map'? FBI cuts ties with organization over Charlie Kirk criticism
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) came under fire from Elon Musk, Jack Posobiec, and Andrew Kolvet amid fallout over Charlie Kirk's shooting.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday cut ties with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), after the organization came under fire amid a fallout over Charlie Kirk's shooting.
FBI Director Kash Patel shared the news on X, writing, “The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine. Their so-called “hate map” has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence. That disgraceful record makes them unfit for any FBI partnership.”
He added, “In April, during our Anti-Christian Bias Panel, I made it clear that the FBI will never rely on politicized or agenda-driven intelligence from outside groups — and certainly not from the SPLC. Under this FBI, all ties with the SPLC have officially been terminated.”
The SPLC came under fire for a report titled Turning Point USA: A case study of the hard right in 2024. Among those slamming the nonprofit legal advocacy group were Elon Musk, Jack Posobiec, and Andrew Kolvet. Musk was present at Kirk's funeral, while Posobiec had appeared on Kirk's podcast and also called the late conservative activist a firend. Kolvet is a spokersperson at Kirk's Turning Point USA.
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“SPLC is guilty of incitement to murder Charlie Kirk,” Musk wrote, while Posibiec had said “One day before Charlie was shot and killed, he was featured in the SPLC's 'Hatewatch' newsletter.”
While they hadn't directly called for Patel to cut ties with SPLC, that call was raised by others, including far-right radio host Alex Jones.
“Kash Patel Orders The FBI To Cut Ties With The ADL After They Listed Charlie Kirk / TPUSA As A Dangerous Extremist Organization. Now, The Equally Corrupt SPLC Is Next On The Chopping Block!,” he wrote.
Patel's announcement came soon after. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino reposted Patel's announcement, and wrote on X “We promised accountability. Promises matter.”
What is the SPLC's ‘hate map’?
The SPLC hate map is an interactive map which the group says has been available to ‘track hate’ since 2000. The map is of the US and users can click to zoom into a specific part, where it lists out ‘hate groups’ and who they are purportedly biased against. Data is available from 2000 to 2024 and it is downloadable.
The SPLC has provided information to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies about hate groups in the US.
Notably, before the SPLC, the FBI had similarly cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) after a row over its Glossary of Extremism, which had included references to TPUSA.
