‘It's MORE INSIDIOUS than that…’: Rep Fry, witnesses expose SPLC's motives at heated House hearing

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]If the SPLC puts on their hate map neo-Nazi group, that's kind of their mission, right? There's no objection to that. Probably not. Uh the transparency, I think, actually helps to eliminate groups like that. Would you agree?

[00:00:13]>> Yes.

[00:00:14]>> Is it fair to characterize the mission creep of the SPLC in that way? Sir, >> Congressman Fry, it's more insidious than that. They needed the white supremist groups so that they could marginalize and demonize moms and groups that adhere to biblical teaching. They needed those groups. That's why they're propping them up. This was not about money. This was about Charlottesville was about coalescing corporations behind their initiative to marginalize and demonize conservatives so the left could march forward.

[00:00:48]>> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, hey guys, I have a great idea. 2016 we we raised $51 million. That's really good. Um, but I think we can do better, right? I think we can do just a little bit better if we just invest in the same thing that we're perpetuating if we perpetuate the same thing that we're fighting against. So, let's let's take Mr. O'Neal $3 million. Does that sound about right? If we take that little bit of money and send it to informants in white nationalist groups, I think we can two and a half like I think we can double our money. Does that sound like a good business model?

[00:01:28]>> A good deal for you. I think it's only 270 to that particular Charlottesville informant.

[00:01:34]>> Right. So, so let's I think that's a good investment. Don't you? And I think if a year from now >> grand year year from now in 2017, I think we'll see the fruits of our labor.

[00:01:43]Is that kind of what happened?

[00:01:47]>> According to the indictment, and I I do need to preface according to the indictment because I haven't seen the underlying evidence and of course this will work out in court, but according to the indictment, that's exactly what happened. Uh so we take this organization the Southern Poverty Law Center that has had I say tremendous success decades ago in eliminating racism in our country in uh fixing laws and seeing really a societal change in the way that we approach race and the way that we deal with race.

[00:02:19]Um and they were doing pretty good in 2016 and even before. But isn't that just crazy? I mean, Miss Hagman talked about this a second ago, but we're sitting in we're perpetuating the problem and funding the problem that we're eliminating, right? I mean, this is this is a division for dollars racket. Is that a fair characterization?

[00:02:42]At least according to the indictment.

[00:02:44]Well, and that's what I that's why I wrote this book in 2020, years before the indictment because I saw it when they put good people like Tony Perkins organization, Family Research Council on the hate map. I've been screaming from the rooftops about this for years. So, when the indictment comes out, I say, "Yeah, that that makes a lot of sense to me." And I want to set a few if if you don't mind, I want to set a few things straight. The Southern Poverty Law Center wasn't founded until 1971. A lot of people in this room have been saying that it's a civil rights organization started in the middle of the civil rights movement. It was started toward the end of it. They were almost ambulance chasing. I mean, and forgive me on this, but when they sued the clan, their own lawyers said that suing the clan was like shooting fish in a barrel.

[00:03:36]and their own lawyers quit because they said Morris was so focused on suing the clan to make money by going to donors because he knew donors cared about this that they were drifting away from their original mission which by the way wasn't fighting white supremacy but was representing poor people in the South with legal representation which is a noble mission and I pray to God that they turn every effort that they have demonizing conservatives toward that effort because that effort is noble and By the way, groups on the hate map, good conservative groups that provide legal representation to people who can't afford it are demonized by the SPLC for doing exactly what the SPLC >> So, Mr. Mr. Perkins, real quick, if if the SPLC puts on their hate map, neo-Nazi group, that's kind of their mission, right? There's no objection to that. Probably not. Uh the transparency, I think, actually helps to eliminate groups like that. Would you agree?

[00:04:34]>> Yes. So, you're on the same list as a neo-Nazi group, and that's not really a fair characterization, is it?

[00:04:42]>> No. They need >> Moms for Liberty, too. I mean, the their only crime, I think, is being involved in their child's education. Right.

[00:04:48]>> Right. Being moms.

[00:04:49]>> Being moms.

[00:04:50]>> Yeah. So, what they >> That's apparently a white supremacist thing, right? like I I don't understand this logic, but we have we we are taking an entity and using uh an idea that we're going to go grow our influence in the Biden administration, in government, they're going to meet with us on a quarterly basis and we're going to go after people. It it became, I think, and and maybe this is fair to characterize, but the SPLC went from maybe an altruistic entity at its inception at a good on a good day to really a racket of let's go grow our influence. Let's balloon our fundraising. I mean, what's their foundation right now? $700 million. Is it fair to characterize the mission creep of the SPLC in that way? Sir, >> Congressman Fry, it's more insidious than that. They needed the the the the white supremist groups so that they could marginalize and demonize moms and groups that adhere to biblical teaching.

[00:05:52]They needed those groups. That's why they're propping them up. This was not about money. This was about Charlottesville was about coalescing corporations behind their initiative to marginalize and demonize conservatives so the left could march forward. It's much more insidious than what this is.

[00:06:11]Like Al Capone. Does anybody believe that it was just tax evasion? Come on.

[00:06:16]He was a criminal. He killed. He murdered.

[00:06:19]>> And you use that to justify your existence. Matt, that Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

[00:06:24]>> Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from Florida is which we go.

[00:06:27]>> No, I was just going to note they were 30 sec six seconds over and I think Miss Crockett needs to catch an airplane so she could go first.

[00:06:32]>> LA from Texas. Then we'll come to the gentleman from Florida.

[00:06:37]Well, well, well. Um, I, you know, it is so hard to sit here and listen to this.

[00:06:43]That's one reason I watched the majority of this, um, and didn't actually sit in this room because I'm sure my faces would have told, um, everything that I was thinking. Um, is there anyone that finds it odd? Well, can we start here? I'm going start with the entire panel. Are the Proud Boys a white supremacist organization? Yes or no? Starting with Miss Wy.

[00:07:11]>> It is my view they are.

[00:07:16]>> It depends on how you define it. I have a book.

[00:07:19]>> Okay, never mind.

[00:07:21]>> It depends on how you >> say yes or no. Proud boys. How they define themselves. Are they white supremacists? Yes or no?

[00:07:28]>> I have not read a description of how they define themselves. That's fine.

[00:07:33]>> I'm not on their mailing list. I don't know.

[00:07:35]>> So, are you only on the mailing list of >> I'm not like the SPLC. I don't fund organizations that I'm >> Oh, it just seemed like you were saying because you haven't received their mail, you only receive the mail of white supremacists. But go ahead, last witness.

[00:07:48]>> No, they're not white supremacist.

[00:07:49]>> And you know what? I do believe that y'all believe that. Let's try another one. Neo-Nazis, Miss Wy.

[00:07:58]>> Well, yes.

[00:07:59]>> What? Neo-Nazi. Nazis is in their name.

[00:08:02]Neo-Nazis. Dr. Swain, >> is the question still about the Proud Boys or is it about the uh >> neonazis?

[00:08:11]We have moved on. Neo-Nazis.

[00:08:13]>> Neo-Nazis or hate groups. And I have a book 2000. Thank you so much. Groups that I suggest that you all read.

[00:08:21]>> I'm reclaiming my time. I'm reclaiming my time.

[00:08:25]>> Neo-Nazis. Are they white supremacists?

[00:08:28]Neo-Nazis, are they white supremacists?

[00:08:31]>> Yes or no?

[00:08:32]>> This isn't easy.

[00:08:33]>> What's that?

[00:08:34]>> This isn't easy.

[00:08:35]>> Yes or no?

[00:08:35]>> They're certainly anti-semitic, which I would join with any member of the Democratic Party. Mr. Nadler early was talking about standing up the Jewish >> reclaiming my time. Be happy to do that.

[00:08:46]>> Yes, they're white supremacist.

[00:08:47]>> Woo. Thank God. Jesus Christ. I didn't think we were going to get there. Oh my gosh. Let me be clear. Proud boys are freaking white supremacists. Neo-Nazis are too. And this president who loves to coddle white supremacists has decided that they should be given checks. The reasons that I pointed to those particular organizations is because you can go and read I don't know how many articles as Dr. Swain wants people to read up. I'm going be clear. I I've read my fair share of books. I do have my fair share of degrees.

[00:09:17]It is clear that neo-Nazis as well as Proud Boys joined in on January 6. Yet this slush fund that they keep talking about is specifically to give them money. So how dare this majority sit here and try to lecture try to lecture this organization about money. Now we're not talking about taxpaying dollars as we are in that slush fund. But you're telling me the $2 billion in the same country that I'm sure some of y'all would struggle with whether or not the enslavement of black people was good or bad. I'm not even going to go there and ask all the question cuz y'all struggled with defining that these people were white supremacists. But this country still hasn't thought that reparations made sense for black folk in this country.

[00:10:09]But at the same time, they've decided that people that are in organizations that are absolutely white supremacy organizations should get our tax dollars because they decided to tear apart or attempt to tear apart our democracy.

[00:10:25]They are being rewarded. These are people that went through our criminal justice system. When people on that side of the aisle claim that they love law and order, they went through it. They either entered p of guilty or they were found guilty. And this president on day one, his priority was not around racism.

[00:10:42]It was around doing things like letting them go and now putting money in their pockets. We haven't had one hearing on white supremacy. Yet when we look at things like the killing of Ahmad Arbory, George Floyd, Bana Taylor, the nine worshippers who were murdered at the Mother Emanuel AM church, the 23 people murdered in 2019 during a shooting at Walmart in El Paso, the 10 people murdered during the 2022 shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. All of these were murdered by white supremacists who are empowered by the Republican party's racist rhetoric and policies. This is the same party that wants to drag us back to the Jim Crow era. Some say that there aren't pole taxes, and I guess it's because they're not listing the amount of money, but when you tell somebody that they've got to go and pay for something, say like a passport that costs over $100 in order to be able to vote, that looks like a pole tax to me. Some of y'all need to read up on your history books, the very same ones that the Republicans have decided that people should not hear about because you don't want real history taught in our schools because you're afraid that it's going to hurt people's feelings to know that their ancestors were so savage that they would enslave black folk. You don't want them to understand why the 14th Amendment mattered then and it matters today. You don't want them to understand that when they draw these racist lines and tell black folk that they shouldn't have representation in this country that it is against the constitution. You want them to be ignorant so that they can sit up here and be token has expired.