Justice Department Opposes SPLC Request for Corrections to Blanche Statements and Grand Jury Transcripts

The Justice Department filed papers in court on Tuesday rejecting the Southern Poverty Law Center’s request that a judge force corrections to statements made by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and order the turnover of grand jury transcripts. The filing came after the SPLC sought judicial intervention following a bombshell indictment accusing the organization of hiding from donors that it paid over $3 million to confidential informants, some of whom were allegedly leaders inside hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

Federal prosecutors said the SPLC’s demands over Blanche’s public comments are no longer relevant because his second statement addressed the group’s concerns.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox News on April 21. ” There he said, “It is true that over the years [the SPLC has] selectively shared information with law enforcement. That’s well-documented and there’s no dispute there.

That second statement was viewed by over one million people. ” The department argued that Blanche had walked back his initial comments and that the SPLC’s motion should therefore be rejected. The SPLC had argued it provided “helpful information” to law enforcement that led to at least two convictions.

One conviction cited by the SPLC involved a member of the white supremacist extremist group Atomwaffen Division who was planning a terrorist attack in Las Vegas and is now in prison. The SPLC says the criminal indictment of the group is meritless and politically motivated.

The organization also contended that Blanche’s first statement raised questions about whether the grand jury received inaccurate evidence, prompting its request for transcripts.

New York Post reported that the indictment accuses the SPLC of paying over $3 million to confidential informants. The group filed its motion asking a judge to force the DOJ to correct Blanche’s statements the same day the indictment was released.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s second Fox News appearance came after the initial April 21 interview and before the Tuesday court filing responding to the SPLC’s motion.