State Rep. Matthew Bierlein, Majority Vice Chair of the House Oversight Committee, today said newly obtained emails from the Michigan Department of State reveal Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson maintained an ongoing relationship with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) after taking office in 2019.

The committee action was prompted by the recent federal grand jury indictment of SPLC on charges including money laundering and wire fraud. The federal indictment alleges that, between 2014 and 2023, “the SPLC secretly funneled more than $3 million in SPLC funds to [individuals] who were associated with various violent extremist groups,” including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nations, and the National Socialist Party of America. Benson served on the SPLC’s Board of Directors from 2014 through 2018, directly overlapping with the years covered by the federal indictment.

“These records confirm Secretary Benson’s relationship with SPLC did not end when she took office,” said Bierlein (R-Vassar). “The people of Michigan deserve to know the full extent of that relationship and whether it had any bearing on the work of the Department of State. We intend to continue following the facts, reviewing every record, and making sure the people of Michigan receive the full transparency they deserve.”