Formed in 1971 as a ‘civil rights litigation’ organization, SPLC has ties with the American Communist Party and its articles often appear in Communist newspapers, as well as hard-left progressive publications.
Then, we take a look at the so-called Patriot Movement — a loosely-connected network of organizations that are united in the belief the federal government has overstepped its authority.
Joseph Rice is the head of the Josephine County chapter of the Oath Keepers — a group that Potok sees as central to so-called patriot groups. But Rice thinks SPLC is uninformed about his group. “I’ve never spoken to those folks,” he said.