‘Bring Us the Evidence’: GOP Uses MLK’s Niece as Star Witness, But She Fumbles — Then Dem Drops a Trump Bombshell That Silences the Room
Rep. Jamie Raskin used the most recent House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to turn Republicans’ fraud allegations back on them, invoking Trump University’s $25 million settlement while dismantling the legal logic behind the SPLC’s indictment piece by piece.
In the hearing on June 9, the Maryland Democrat opened by flipping Republicans’ central argument on its head to a panel of four witnesses: Professor Mary McCord, Ryan Bangert, Dr. Alveda King, and Bryan Fair (SPLC Interim CEO).
GOP members had argued that the SPLC having an informant at the 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville was evidence of wrongdoing.
Raskin asked professor McCord whether that same informant had actually helped prevent planned violence.
“That is the facts that have been represented in court,” McCord confirmed.
Raskin then pivoted to a proposed $1.776 billion fund for Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other Jan. 6 “convicted criminals and rioters,” asking each witness whether that fund should be shut down.
Fair said yes. Dr. King dodged, pivoting to attacking the SPLC. Bangert called it “a question for Congress to answer.” McCord also agreed it should be shut down.
From there, Raskin walked McCord through the legal definition of fraud itself.
“Can you have a criminal fraud if there are no victims of the fraud?” he asked.
McCord confirmed that without donors coming forward claiming they were misled, the fraud charge collapses.
That set up Raskin’s sharpest line of the hearing.
“It just seems to me amazing to be alleging of fraud when there are no victims,” he said. “I just looked up the Trump University case. There were hundreds and hundreds of people coming forward screaming to high heaven about how they’d been ripped off and exploited by this fake university, and they won $25 million.”
King, who is a niece of Martin Luther King Jr., attempted to interject with a claim that “outside agitators” had bombed her family’s home, prompting Raskin to press her directly.
“Doctor King, you’re asserting a lot of things under oath, and you haven’t brought the evidence with you.”
“I’ll get some for you,” King replied.
“Please, bring us the evidence,” Raskin said flatly, before yielding back.
The SPLC investigation is still ongoing; however, there are no upcoming hearings on the matter.
