DA Khan praised now-indicted Southern Poverty Law Center
At an October 19, 2022 Bucks County Commissioners meeting, the county solicitor, who is now the district attorney, Joseph Khan, touted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a good source for information.
Khan gave a presentation complete with pictures and charts that criticized Judicial Watch, a nonprofit that had sued Bucks County, along with other counties, demanding officials strike people who had moved or were dead from the county voter rolls. Judicial Watch lost to Bucks County in federal court in 2021 when a judge dismissed the case. Khan said the litigation over the voter rolls cost the county $189,000 in legal fees for outside counsel.
Khan suggested people look to the SPLC, the left-wing “watchdog” organization Media Matters, and the media in general for correct information, rather than the conservative Judicial Watch.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center is an original source people can turn to for the work they do, rooting out these kind of extremist ideas and players,” said Khan.
Khan did not respond to requests for comment.
At the same meeting, County Commissioner Bob Harvie (D) said people have been “spreading rumors and outright lies that are undermining democracy in this country.”
“There are sources of information – I use that term broadly – that people are using that are not objective, that don’t care about the truth,” said Harvie. Judicial Watch does “a lot of this for fundraising, attacking counties like ours, spreading misinformation.”
Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, the lone Republican on the board, objected to the presentation, saying he had not been informed beforehand and that it had little to do with Bucks County.
During public comment, Jamison resident Audrey Strein elicited an extended period of laughter from Harvie, who is now running for Congress.
“I’m offended that you’re using taxpayer money to wield a leftist agenda, and the inflection in your voice, to push a leftist agenda,” said Strein, a Warwick Republican committeewoman. “That’s my personal opinion. If you’re attacking Judicial Watch, the Southern Poverty Law Center is a racist organization that has a RICO suit against them for labeling anybody they disagree with a hate group. So, I’m just clarifying that.”
On April 21, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an indictment that alleged the SPLC committed eleven counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering for allegedly raising money and then sending it to the same “hate groups” like the Ku Klux Klan, which the nonprofit ostensibly fought against.
“Donors gave their money believing they were supporting the fight against violent extremism,” acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson said in a statement. “As alleged, the SPLC instead diverted a portion of those funds to benefit individuals and groups they claimed to oppose. That kind of deception undermines public trust and social cohesion.”
Strein The Independence she has “a pretty tough skin, but it’s a shame that [Harvie] thinks this is a big joke, and he’s superior to the little people, and he can just wield his power over you. He’s just very cynical and does not respect the people of Bucks County at all.”
Strein has been studying the First Amendment “and how easy it is for someone to step on your rights and the power of the law that’s behind you when they do, especially if they have public office,” she said. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but if it happened now, I’d take them to task and file a complaint.”
Harvie also did not respond to requests for comment.
Judicial Watch had represented Megan Brock and Jamie Walker, two mothers who fought to uncover emails regarding how the decision to keep the schools closed was made during the Covid pandemic. Judicial Watch won that case.
“Bob Harvie laughing didn’t shock me at all because I already knew what type of person he was since he and [Democratic Commissioner] Diane [Ellis-]Marseglia sued me to hide emails,” Walker said. “He does not care about his constituents. In fact, he hates anyone who does not agree with him and his beliefs. It turns out his beliefs are wrong.
“The smartest person on the dias that day was Joe Khan,” Walker added. “He knew to resign from his county position after he was forced to sue constituents to hide Diane Marseglia’s emails and present a slide show that was full of lies and propaganda.”
Linda Stein is an award-winning journalist who’s written for newspapers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Arizona. Before joining Fideri News Network, she was the news editor for Delaware Valley Journal. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Temple University and earned her undergraduate degree from Arcadia University. Contact her at [email protected].
