Cooke on Newsmax: SPLC Controversy Raises New Questions About Fraud and Accountability

• May 21, 2026

The Daily Signal’s Senior Political and Legal Analyst Mehek Cooke said on Newsmax Wednesday that congressional scrutiny of the Southern Poverty Law Center over fraud concerns is long overdue, arguing that Americans deserve answers about whether the organization engaged in political targeting and how it used donor funds.

A federal grand jury in April charged the organization with 11 counts of wire fraud, making false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. The Justice Department alleged that the center deceived donors by paying the leaders of extremist groups it vowed to fight. The SPLC pleaded not guilty to all 11 counts and said the payments were part of its informant program that helped prevent attacks and dismantle the groups.

Cooke said it was not surprising the alleged fraud was overlooked and pointed to statements from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan suggesting the Biden administration had knowledge of the problem. “We all know why this happened. The Biden administration was complicit,” Cooke said. “The fact that you had Jim Jordan telling Americans today that the Biden administration actually shielded when we knew that there was massive fraud, that Americans and groups were being targeted, and that this money was being funneled to white supremacists and neo-Nazis—is everything you need to know.”

She argued the controversy demands a full federal investigation. “The DOJ should be all over this in their lawsuit and make sure that we get accountability, our money back, and those individuals are jailed indefinitely. That is as despicable as it gets,” Cooke added.

During the segment, Cooke also pushed back on criticism from Democrats that President Donald Trump’s Justice Department was trying to sow hate. She pointed to financial records and donation patterns as evidence warranting further scrutiny.

“Bank records don’t lie. The donors and the donations don’t lie,” Cooke said.

Cooke also rejected claims that raising questions about the SPLC’s activities is rooted in racial animus, instead framing the issue as one of oversight and misuse of funds. “We’re not racists. We’re embracing everybody in America. We just don’t want fraud on our watch, and we don’t want to be labeled as racists,” she said.

Daily Signal Staff | Staffer

Read the first chapter of The Woketopus right now for FREE

Today, even with President Trump’s victory, leftist elites have their tentacles in every aspect of our government.

The Daily Signal’s own Tyler O’Neil exposes this leftist cabal in his new book, The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.

In this book, O’Neil reveals how the Left’s NGO apparatus pursues its woke agenda, maneuvering like an octopus by circumventing Congress and entrenching its interests in the federal government.
You can read the first chapter of this new book for FREE in this eBook, The Woketopus: Chapter One using the secure link below.

GET MY FREE EBOOK