SPLC head REFUSES to remove Charlie Kirk from hate list when confronted in House Judiciary hearing

Southern Poverty Law Center interim CEO Bryan Fair refused to say that his organization would remove the group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA, from its list of hate groups.

Rep Darrell Issa asked Fair, "your organization has labeled Dr. [Alveda] King and Charlie Kirk and others. Do you regret that? Will you recant it, or are you going to double down and say that these people, including the martyred Charlie Kirk, in fact, somehow deserve to be on your hate list, for they're constantly talking about bringing people together, talking about the teachings of the Bible, and the like."

Fair began, saying, "Congressman, I said, as I said in my statement," with Issa cutting in, "now wait a second, no, no, I heard your statement. I only want an answer to your question in 11 seconds left."

Issa added, "Are you going to recant, yes or no? And if you're not going to, please don't tell me it's because now you're under charges. Your organization did it as much as 16 years ago. Will you take back any part of that, or is your hate list stand as your position of your organization as its head today?"

"The SPLC will continue to expose hate and extremism," Fair replied, with Issa saying, "Okay, we'll take that as the list stands."

While being questioned about "targeting groups like Turning Point USA, the Family Research Council, traditional Catholic groups as hate groups, but not groups like Antifa, Jane’s Revenge, Youth Liberation Front" by Rep Tom McClintock, Fair said "We list groups that demonize or vilify people based on immutable characteristics or that express anti-government conspiracy theories" and that Antifa "is an ideology, not a group."

Turning Point USA was added to SPLC’s hate map in 2025. It was described in the organization’s "Year in Hate and Extremism" for the year of 2024 as a "well-funded, hard-right organization with links to Southern Poverty Law Center-identified hard-right extremists and a tremendous amount of influence in conservative politics." 

“Turning Point USA’s primary strategy is sowing and exploiting fear that white Christian supremacy is under attack by nefarious actors, including immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights activists,” SPLC argued. “TPUSA and its spokespeople often warn their audience that their children, wives, religion, way of life and they themselves are under attack by various constructed enemies. TPUSA exploits complicated feelings of insecurity and anxiety to manufacture rage and mobilize support to revive and maintain a white-dominated, male supremacist, Christian social order.” 

A little over a year after the report was released, Kirk was fatally shot while addressing a crowd at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson has been arrested and charged with the killing. In a text exchange between Robinson and his transgender lover Lance Twiggs, Robinson admitted to killing Kirk, saying when asked why he did it, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out."