Michigan House Republicans say newly obtained records show Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson maintained ties to the recently indicted Southern Poverty Law Center after taking office.
The records come amid ongoing scrutiny of Benson’s relationship with the organization following a federal indictment announced in April.
“The people of Michigan deserve answers when one of their most prominent public servants is deeply tied to an organization facing federal criminal charges,” said House Oversight Committee Chair Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Township. “Secretary Benson has a long, documented history with the Southern Poverty Law Center – one that she continued even after becoming Michigan’s Secretary of State.”
Benson, a Democrat, is also running for governor this year. She has secured the backing of much of the Democratic establishment and has consistently led fellow Democrat Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in public polling.
Federal prosecutors announced charges against the SPLC including wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in April.
According to the federal indictment, the SPLC “secretly funneled” more than $3 million in donor funds between 2014 and 2023 to individuals associated with extremist organizations, including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations and the National Socialist Movement.
“The SPLC was not dismantling these groups,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a news conference announcing the charges. “It was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred.”
The SPLC has denied the allegations. SPLC CEO Bryan Fair previously called the accusations “false” and defended the organization’s work.
Benson served on the SPLC’s board of directors from 2014 through 2018, overlapping with the timeframe outlined in the indictment.
The Michigan state House Oversight Committee has been investigating Benson’s connections to the SPLC. It held a hearing regarding the issue Wednesday, releasing emails from the Michigan Department of State that Republicans say show she “maintained a working relationship” with the organization after being elected to office in 2018.
“Her continued embrace of the SPLC makes her current situation even more difficult,” said state Rep. Rachelle Smit, R-Martin. “Benson led an organization accused of funneling money to hate groups and domestic terrorists. The public should rightfully question whether she was directly involved or if her leadership was so flimsy that she was completely unaware of the potential heinous actions happening right under her nose.”
In May, Smit led a House Republican effort to pass a resolution calling on Benson to release records tied to her involvement with the SPLC.
According to Republicans, the emails show that Benson participated in an SPLC event in 2019 and include internal communications among her staff about the SPLC’s recent indictment that were taken “offline.”
“The emails we got from MDOS may seem like a step in the right direction, but the internal conversations we’re now privy to do nothing but cement the clear relationship between Benson and the SPLC,” DeBoyer said. “The emails we obtained just begs the question: what is Secretary Benson holding back if these are the conversations she felt comfortable being public?”
Benson’s office did not respond to The Center Square’s request for comment on the hearing or emails.
State Republicans have promised that they will keep the pressure on Benson, though they have held off on officially issuing a subpoena.
“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,” said Majority Vice Chair of the House Oversight Committee Matthew Bierlein, R-Vassar. “We intend to continue following the facts, reviewing every record, and making sure the people of Michigan receive the full transparency they deserve.”
