Republicans have long complained about the FBI's reliance on help from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) when it comes to identifying domestic terror threats.
Yet in an embarrassing development for the left-wing organization, one of its own attorneys was recently brought up on domestic terror charges.
According to Breitbart, 28-year-old Thomas Jurgens was among those arrested in Georgia this past weekend following a riot just outside of Atlanta.
The melee took place where a new police training facility is being constructed, something critics have dubbed "Cop City." Jurgens was among dozens of people who police say perpetrated a coordinated attack.
NYT reporter Sean Keenan captured rare close-up video of part of the domestic terrorist attack by #Antifa and far-left extremists in Atlanta yesterday. The militants launched a coordinated mob ambush on police guarding a construction site the extremists pic.twitter.com/IP7YaaR4WC… https://t.co/EmN5juUlGa
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 6, 2023
Breitbart noted that the SPLC released a statement that blamed Jurgens' arrest on "heavy-handed law enforcement intervention against protesters."
The organization also put out a series of tweets that independent conservative journalist Andy Ngo described as trying "to hide behind CRT and intersectional jargon."
The SPLC and the National Lawyers Guild have released statements in support of their staffer/affiliate charged with domestic terrorism. They blame police for making arrests and try to hide behind CRT and intersectional jargon. They do not criticize the violent actions of the… https://t.co/vBto4fQudc pic.twitter.com/WUtuugPsym
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 7, 2023
Meanwhile, the Twitter account Libs of TikTok stressed the irony of the SPLC linking conservatives with terrorism when "one of their attorneys is an Antifa member and was arrested for domestic terrorism," adding, "It’s always projection with them."
The Southern Poverty Law Center called me a terrorist for posting a flyer of a publicly available drag show. Turns out one of their attorneys is an Antifa member and was arrested for domestic terrorism. It’s always projection with them. pic.twitter.com/lavHCM39Xx
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 6, 2023
Fox News reported on Wednesday that Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz is calling for an investigation into the FBI's relationship with the SPLC.
"The SPLC has essentially converted to SPL-Qaeda. They gaslight violence against conservatives while masquerading as an authority on civil rights," Fox News quoted Gaetz as saying in a statement.
"Why does the FBI rely on a group who now has definitive ties to staff coordinating and participating in activities that local law enforcement categorizes as domestic terrorism?" Gaetz demanded.
"This is yet again another area of investigation that House Republicans must look into when conducting oversight of these weaponized agencies," the congressman insisted.
