commentary For decades, the Southern Poverty Law Center has fought hate. Now the Justice Department wants it to stop Published April 23, 2026 10:30AM (EDT) Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Directer Kash Patel announce an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images) Todd Blanche is a known quantity in Trump World. He defended the president in the New York hush money case involving the adult film star Stormy Daniels, and he has been a vocal advocate for Donald Trump ever since, particularly in serving as assistant attorney general.…