Benson Flounders on Her Involvement with the SPLC

Lansing, MI – Michigan Secretary of State and Democrat candidate for Governor Jocelyn Benson was finally asked about her involvement in the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) pay-an-extremist program last week, and what she said created more questions than answers.

Benson and the SPLC came under fire this Spring over a damning indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Alabama that alleged the organization had been using donor money to funnel millions of dollars to extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) – while Benson served on the board. The indictment immediately raised questions about Benson’s involvement in the program and how much she knew about it.

While running for secretary of state and governor, Benson has used her involvement with the SPLC to illustrate her civil rights bona fides, but when finally asked about the program, she deflected and said that her role was only “ceremonial.”

Notably, Benson’s state department has also been sued multiple times for creating a “racially hostile work environment,” with one of the cases ending in a high-six-figure settlement.

“Jocelyn Benson was either complicit in the SPLC’s program, or she was derelict in her oversight duties as a member of their board,” said Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network. “Her tenure as secretary of state and as an SPLC board member are painting a damning picture of her attitude towards civil rights.”