Stay Tuned with Preet Trump Goes After Civil Rights Groups
Apr 28, 2026
They unpack a DOJ indictment accusing a civil rights group of secretly funding white supremacists and probe its unusual timing. They review the organization’s history fighting the Klan and question the legal theory behind the charges. They debate risks to informants and whether the case could chill cooperation with civil rights organizations.
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Indictment Claims SPLC Funded White Supremacists
- The DOJ's indictment alleges the SPLC used donor money to fund white supremacists by paying informants inside those groups.
- Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance call that theory implausible and say SPLC historically litigated and exposed groups like the KKK, Aryan Nation, and National Alliance.
Hosts Reject Theory That SPLC Manufactured Racism
- Joyce Vance and Preet Bharara call the government's legal theory "batshit crazy," arguing SPLC did not need to manufacture racism to justify its work.
- They say the indictment is legally weak and strains credulity given widespread white supremacist activity in the U.S.
Timing And Venue Suggest Political Strategy
- The hosts note political context: the indictment arrived during a Trump-aligned leadership period at DOJ and in a conservative district with Trump-appointed judges.
- Joyce highlights Montgomery, Alabama as strategically favorable to the prosecution given its court makeup and lower media scrutiny.