JUST IN: Gooden Asks SPLC President Point Blank: Did Your Org Ever Designate Antifa As A Hate Group?

[0:00] I yield back. [0:00] Gentleman yields back. [0:01] The gentleman is inspired. [0:02] The chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gooden. [0:05] Mr. Fair, during the Biden-Harris administration, the SPLC included many mainstream conservative [0:10] groups in their hate map, including Alliance Defending Freedom, Charlie Kirk's Turning Point [0:15] USA, and Family Research Council. [0:17] To your knowledge, did the SPLC include Antifa, which is an actual domestic terrorist organization [0:23] in its hate group? [0:25] Congressman Gooden, just for the record, the SPLC does not have a domestic terrorist [0:33] list. [0:33] I'm not sure what Dr. King was referring to, what list she's referring to. [0:38] As I understand, she's on none of our list. [0:41] We have a list that identifies groups based on the statements that they and their leaders [0:47] make. [0:48] Is Antifa on your hate map? [0:50] Again, as I said earlier, Congressman Gooden, it's my understanding that the FBI has said- [0:56] So they're not. [0:57] Let me ask you this. [0:58] Has SPLC labeled the radical left group Jane's Revenge as a hate group? [1:03] This group has publicly taken responsibility for vandalizing and destroying pregnancy resource [1:08] centers and Catholic churches since May 2022. [1:12] Have you all designated that on your hate map? [1:15] Congressman Gooden, if you've looked at our hate map, you know the criteria we set for [1:21] designating groups. [1:22] One designation is when a group expresses, vilifies, demonizes individuals based on immutable characteristics. [1:33] The second is a group that expresses anti-government conspiracy theories. [1:39] So destroying pregnancy resource centers and Catholic churches would not qualify as hate under your [1:48] definition. [1:49] You guys are okay with that. [1:51] But God forbid, turning point holds a rally. [1:53] That's considered hate. [1:54] But destroying a Catholic church or a pregnancy resource is not. [1:58] Just to be clear, help me understand. [1:59] Congressman Gooden, the SPLC establishes its own criteria and any other group can create [2:10] its own list. [2:12] Under our criteria, we've designated those groups based on what they've said. [2:17] Under your criteria, Turning Point USA Family Research Council and other conservative Christian [2:22] groups are considered hate groups, but Antifa and Jane's Revenge that burns down Catholic [2:28] churches and pregnancy resource centers, those are not hate groups. [2:31] It sounds like you're really proud of that process. [2:34] I'll move on because I frankly think it's disgusting. [2:37] And you know what? [2:38] I'd actually ask for you to add me to your hate map. [2:40] I'd be honored to be on it. [2:41] It sounds like I'd be in great company. [2:43] During the Biden-Harris administration, the FBI's Richmond field office relied on information [2:48] from the SPLC when creating its memorandum that categorized certain Catholics as racially [2:54] motivated, violent extremists. [2:57] Do you believe that Americans practicing their Christian faith and exercising their First [3:01] Amendment rights are violent extremists? [3:03] Congressman Gooden, the SPLC doesn't identify any group based on religion. [3:10] We too believe in religious liberty. [3:12] We identify groups based on the statements they make, that their leaders make, based on their [3:17] activities that target various group based groups. [3:21] Well, many of these statements are based on religious beliefs. [3:24] So I take issue with that. [3:26] Let me ask you, were your donors informed of your partnership with federal agencies under [3:31] Biden-Harris administration? [3:33] Did you let them know that, that you all are working with them? [3:37] Congressman Gooden, the SPLC has worked with every administration since our founding to [3:44] advance racial justice and equality in this country. [3:47] We believe our donors and supporters support all of the work that we do. [3:57] So funding radical racist groups is something that your donors are on board with. [4:02] I have a hard time believing that. [4:04] Mr. Jordan, I'll yield the balance to you. [4:07] I thank the gentleman for yielding. [4:11] Mr. Fair, if you're trying to stop hate, why would you encourage people to attend a hate rally? [4:21] The SPLC doesn't encourage people to attend hate rallies, Chairman Jordan. [4:27] And if you're referring to any allegations in the indictment. [4:31] Well, I just, I'm not just asking in general. [4:33] I'm not saying with, it's one thing you've said you've had informants, you had field sources. [4:37] If you have informants and field sources there, that's one thing. [4:40] But the indictment says that these informants and field sources were encouraging other people [4:43] to attend these hate rallies. [4:45] And I'm saying, okay, so you don't have to answer that specifically. [4:48] But is that a good thing in general? [4:49] Again, all the allegations and the indictment, Chairman Jordan, will be addressed. [4:57] Do you wish you hadn't done the program? [5:00] You said the program was successful, helpful, but now you're stopping it. [5:07] We stopped the program because we believe hate and extremism has migrated significantly online [5:17] and into government agencies. [5:20] Wow, wow, that's, that's, that's, that's big. [5:24] That makes no sense. [5:26] The chair now recognizes. [5:29] Mr. Chairman, I've got a UC request, if that's all right. [5:31] Gentleman, consider the UC request. [5:33] Okay. [5:33] First, I ask unanimous consent to introduce this article about whether, in fact, people have been driven [5:40] from the public square. [5:41] 2025 was a banner year for Alliance Defending Freedom in their newsletter. [5:48] And I ask unanimous consent to introduce for the record a report by the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General, [5:53] which found no evidence of anti-Catholic bias or malicious intent on the part of the FBI personnel [5:59] who prepared the Richmond domain perspective. [6:02] Even though they apologize for it. [6:04] Well, I've got the report right here from the Inspector General. [6:07] Well, we have the apology from, from Director Wray. [6:09] So we, you typically don't apologize for something if you didn't do anything wrong. [6:12] Let's submit it to the record and let everybody read both of them. [6:15] Yeah, okay. [6:16] We'll have to submit to Director Wray's.