On Wednesday, ABC’s Good Morning America became the first lead broadcast network morning or evening newscast to mention the Justice Department’s indictment of the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for defrauding donors by paying millions to white supremacists and other extremists, including the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and those behind the infamous 2017 Charlottesville rally.
ABC only doled out 31 seconds to the charges at the end of a segment that had spent nearly two minutes prior (1:51) bemoaning FBI Director Kash Patel’s public comments about his defamation suit against The Atlantic for its anonymously-sourced smear campaign.
Worse yet, ABC whined the administration targeted not only “a prominent civil rights organization,” but “one of the most prominent in the nation.”
ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ was the first lead broadcast network newscast on Wednesday to cover the Justice Dept announcing charges against the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center for allegedly defrauding donors and secretly paying members of extremist groups like the KKK.
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 22, 2026
ABC… pic.twitter.com/zm9JfYotTJ
“And during — it was during a press conference that he made these comments [about The Atlantic story], and it was a press conference to announce federal charges against a prominent civil rights organization,” fretted co-host Robin Roberts.
Under the chyron “Civil Rights Group Indicted on Fraud Charges,” chief investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky crammed this stunning turn regarding one of the left’s chief cudgel’s against conservatives (and the inspiration behind the attempted massacre at the Family Research Council) into three sentences:
One of the most prominent in the nation. The Justice Department, accusing the Southern Poverty Law Center, Robin, of defrauding donors by secretly paying informants inside the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups that it long investigated. The Southern Poverty Law Center said, “we are outraged by the false allegations” and accused the Trump administration of targeting it for political reasons, guys.
Along with the time spent on the tawdry claims in the D.C. elite’s favorite magazine (bankrolled by Laurene Powell Jobs, a former friend of Ghislaine Maxwell), ABC was far more interested in this than the group used to claim mainstream conservative and Christian groups are “hate groups.”
“Now to FBI Director Kash Patel speaking about his $250 million dollars defamation suit against The Atlantic magazine and denying charges of improper behavior — behavior in an article it published about him,” Roberts began.
Katersky completely ignored until the very end the entire reason Patel went before cameras to harp on The Atlantic hogwash (click “expand”):
KATERSKY: The FBI director defended his job performance and denounced claims about his drinking, saying he’s never been drunk at work. This morning, FBI director Kash Patel is taking aim at The Atlantic, which published claims of unexplained absences, impulsive decision making, and excessive drinking.
PATEL: I’ve never been intoxicated on the job and that is why we filed a $250 million dollar defamation lawsuit. And any one of you that wants to participate, bring it on. I’ll see you in court.
KATERSKY: Patel is now suing for defamation and lashing out at reporters.
PATEL: I can say unequivocally that I never listened to the fake news mafia. And as — when they get louder, it just means I’m doing my job.
KATERSKY: The Atlantic article said “members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated.” It also said “a request for ‘breaching equipment’—normally used by SWAT and hostage-rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings—was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors.” Patel’s boss, acting attorney general Todd Blanche, said he had not read the article but disputed its contents.
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: I have a lot of concerns and my concerns are completely around the anonymous reporting that comes forth constantly that — that you know, reporters have an obligation to report and — and they have due diligence that they’re supposed to do.
KATERSKY: The Atlantic said it stood by its reporting and called Patel’s defamation lawsuit meritless. And this morning, House Democrats are demanding answers from Kash Patel, writing in a letter that the allegations of heavy drinking are shocking and indicative of a public emergency.
To see the relevant ABC transcript from April 22, click here.
