Former FBI agent Steve Friend has accused the bureau of bias in its approach to domestic terrorism. Friend says that while training at the FBI Academy in 2014, he and other trainees were taught using material directly produced by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Parts of the training material taught prospective agents that pro-life activists are a “greater threat than Islamist terrorists.”

This practice of relying on SPLC’s controversial classifications raises questions about the impartiality and accuracy of the FBI’s assessment of domestic threats. The radically far-left SPLC has become the Democrat Party’s leading source in defining “hate groups.” The politically driven label has momentous implications for those the SPLC decides to target. The SPLC’s broad definitions conveniently and unfairly make legitimate conservative and religious groups appear to be essentially the same as genuinely dangerous entities.

WEAPONIZATION: Former Agent: FBI Taught Agents Pro-Lifers Are More Dangerous Than Islamic Terroristshttps://t.co/g5yCtESVrx

— @amuse (@amuse) April 5, 2024

The implications of the FBI’s use of SPLC materials extend beyond mere theoretical concerns. The bureau’s focus on groups such as pro-life activists and traditional Catholics, as highlighted by Friend and other former agents, suggests a skewed approach to domestic security, potentially diverting resources from genuine threats to national safety.

Moreover, the FBI’s relationship with the SPLC comes at a time when the agency is under scrutiny for its handling of various domestic issues. Friend has openly criticized the agency for weaponizing the immense power of law enforcement against conservatives. He has also slammed Republicans for failing to hold the agency responsible and funding its plans to construct a new headquarters despite calls for reform. 

Others associated with the agency have shared Friend’s comments. They are leading some conservative lawmakers and many in the public to call for much stricter oversight of the FBI, especially in the top levels of leadership. 

There is a $2.5 billion facility in Huntsville. Defund the @FBI entirely and station a HQ for a new, unarmed bureau of investigations in Alabama.@Weaponization @mattgaetz @RepDanBishop @amrenewctr https://t.co/0YAoXjkJxY

— Steve Friend (@RealStevefriend) November 9, 2023

A reassessment of the FBI’s strategies and partnerships is overdue. Friend’s allegations demand a thoughtful examination of how federal law enforcement prioritizes threats and works with outside organizations driven by political ambitions. If the FBI is to rehabilitate its perception among ordinary Americans, the agency must be rededicated to pursuing truth in the fight for justice under the law.