Benson's released emails show continued contact with SPLC after taking office as Secretary of State. LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) - After months of document requests and political sparring, Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has turned over a batch of emails detailing her office's interactions with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The records, released after months of requests and under the threat of a House Oversight Committee subpoena, show Benson using her official state email shortly after taking office in January 2019 to help organize a voting-rights trip to Alabama for roughly 20 secretaries of state. Past board member, present contact. Benson previously worked for the SPLC and later served on its board of directors before saying she stepped down prior to taking office as Michigan's secretary of state. She has described her board role as "mostly ceremonial" and has dismissed the legislative investigation as politically motivated. Republicans, however, say the newly released emails show Benson remained in contact with the organization after taking office, raising questions about the extent of her relationship with the SPLC while serving as Michigan's chief elections official. Emails detail coordination with SPLC as questions grow. Among the emails, Benson coordinated the Alabama visit with SPLC staff, asked the organization to host lunch for the group, connected National Association of Secretaries of State officials with SPLC employees to finalize logistics, and later thanked SPLC co-founder Joe Levin, writing that the organization had been "such a great supporter of the gathering" before adding, "please let me know anytime you need anything at all." The scrutiny has intensified because the SPLC - a nonprofit best known for tracking hate and extremist groups - is facing a federal criminal case in Alabama. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged the organization with wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit money laundering, alleging it misled donors about millions of dollars used to pay informants inside extremist groups. The SPLC has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing. Subpoena paused, not abandoned. House Oversight Committee Chairman Jay DeBoyer told Michigan News Source that lawmakers had been prepared to authorize subpoenas this week after Benson's office failed to produce the requested records. Instead, he said, the committee received a batch of documents just minutes before the deadline and decided to delay subpoena action while members review whether the production fully complies with their request. "It was our intention yesterday to authorize subpoenas for those documents," DeBoyer said. "At literally 4:58 p.m., the day before, we get an email with some documents in it. In the spirit of cooperation, we said we would hold on issuing those subpoenas until we can do a thorough review of the documents they had sent to make a determination if they had actually complied with our request in our letter." According to DeBoyer, the committee requested all communications between the Secretary of State's office and the SPLC because the federal indictment overlaps with the period Benson was affiliated with the organization. He also said lawmakers are attempting to verify exactly when Benson left the SPLC board after receiving conflicting information. "We've been told multiple things that are inconsistent with each other," DeBoyer said. "We were told that she had stepped down when she was elected Secretary of State." However, he said others have suggested she may not have stepped down until as late as March 2019. "We're just going to see if we can validate that." For now, the committee is reviewing the newly released records before deciding whether additional action is necessary. "I would think through this week and into the weekend we'll be able to get through these documents enough to make a determination if our request had been complied with or not," DeBoyer said. "If it has, then great. If it has not, then we'll come back to seek a subpoena." FOIA fight heads to court. The dispute has also moved into court. Former Michigan Attorney General and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Cox has sued Benson's office, alleging it has improperly delayed fulfilling his Freedom of Information Act request for additional emails and communications involving the SPLC. Benson's office argues the request is exceptionally broad and requires extensive review before records can be released. DeBoyer also said that Cox's lawsuit appears to seek a broader range of records than the committee's investigation. "I think he's asking for some much broader stuff from the Secretary of State than we are," DeBoyer said. "We're more interested in the operations of state government." meet the author J.P. Isbell. Jen Isbell has spent nearly 20 years as a journalist. She is a Michigan News Source daily contributor who prefers pets over people because they cause fewer problems.

Michigan House Republicans release records on Benson's SPLC ties. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson at a press conference. Photo: Scott McClallen / The Center Square (The Center Square) - 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."

Firefighter fights back after refusing pride flag display. Join Dr. Chaps on PIJN News as he reports on significant issues affecting religious communities. In this episode, the Pentagon reduces recognized faith groups in the military from over 200 to just 31, sparking discussions on religious representation. The Southern Poverty Law Center faces allegations of hypocrisy for allegedly funding KKK activities, despite their public stance against hate groups. Dr. Chaps also covers a jury's verdict in favor of a pro-life journalist accused of illegal videotaping outside a Planned Parenthood clinic. Dive into these pressing topics with a focus on religious freedom and societal impacts.