Michigans Democrat nominee for governor, Jocelyn Benson, is distancing herself from her long-standing ties to the scandal-plagued Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as scrutiny intensifies over the groups alleged financial misconduct and radical agenda.
According to Breitbart, Benson, currently serving as Michigans Secretary of State after her 2018 election, began her association with the SPLC shortly after college, working as a volunteer researcher and undercover investigator at the organizations Alabama headquarters.
In an interview with the far-left outlet 19th News, she recalled that she researched neo-Nazi and far-right hate groups, including posing as a freelance journalist to uncover and expose the plans of white supremacist leaders and groups.
Benson remained at the SPLC for two years before departing to pursue advanced degrees at Oxford University and Harvard Law School, credentials she now highlights on the campaign trail.
Her relationship with the SPLC, however, did not end there, as she later joined the organizations board in 2014 the same year a federal indictment alleges the SPLC funneled $3 million to extremist organizations it publicly claimed to oppose.
The Justice Departments case has since escalated, with former SPLC chief financial officer Heidi Beirich arrested and charged in a superseding indictment earlier this month. Beirich now faces counts of wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to conceal money laundering, deepening the cloud over the SPLCs operations and those associated with its leadership.
Donors gave their money believing they were supporting the fight against violent extremism, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson said in April, underscoring the gravity of the allegations.
As alleged, the SPLC instead diverted a portion of those funds to benefit individuals and groups they claimed to oppose. That kind of deception undermines public trust and social cohesion.
When Benson launched her gubernatorial bid, she openly embraced her SPLC background, calling it a great organization and crediting her time in Alabama with instilling a deep sense of inspiration and responsibility in her public service. Yet by June, her rhetoric had noticeably shifted, with Benson avoiding the SPLCs name and instead referring vaguely to her time in Alabama and work in the deep south when describing her early career.
Her campaign has since adopted a defensive posture, refusing to answer direct questions from reporters about whether Benson knew of the SPLCs alleged scheme while serving on its board.
This evasiveness has fueled criticism that the Democrat hopeful is attempting to rewrite her record now that the group she once championed is under federal scrutiny.
Earlier this week, the Michigan Enjoyer reported that in May 2019, Benson and thenAlabama Secretary of State John Merrill led a group of 20 Secretaries of State on a voting rights tour that included a visit to the SPLC. Arizona Governor and former Secretary of State Katie Hobbs also joined the tour, which was framed as a civil rightsfocused excursion but now raises questions about official validation of the embattled organization.
The National Association of Secretaries of State, which helped coordinate the trip, publicly described the visit to SPLC headquarters as meaningful and tagged the Michigan Secretary of States office in an X post promoting the event. For years, Benson touted her Southern Poverty Law Center ties, and the Southern Poverty Law Center promoted that one-time intern who rose to statewide elected official, the outlet wrote, highlighting the mutual political benefit of the relationship.
Michigan House Republicans have launched their own inquiry into Bensons SPLC connections, obtaining and releasing years of her official emails. The people of Michigan deserve answers when one of their most prominent public servants is deeply tied to an organization facing federal criminal charges, state Rep. Jay DeBoyer said in a statement. Secretary Benson has a long, documented history with the Southern Poverty Law Center one that she continued even after becoming Michigans Secretary of State.
Republican strategists argue that Bensons shifting narrative reflects a broader pattern of Democrats embracing left-wing institutions when politically convenient, then retreating when those institutions are exposed.
Jocelyn Benson touted her SPLC leadership for years when it served her politically, but now that the organization is under federal scrutiny, she claims her role was mostly ceremonial. She cant claim the credibility and dodge the responsibility, RGA Deputy Communications Director Anna Marian Block told Breitbart News. If Benson wont answer for an organization she helped lead, how can she be trusted to govern Michigan?
Benson now faces Republican John James in November as voters decide who will succeed term-limited Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer, with an AARP poll showing her holding a 4944 percent lead. For many conservatives, the central issue is not merely the SPLCs alleged corruption, but whether a candidate who once praised a great organization now under federal investigation can credibly claim the judgment and transparency required to lead Michigan.
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