(DCNF)—Founder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk appeared on Fox News Tuesday and wasted no time firing back after the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) officially designated his conservative youth organization as a “hate group” in its latest annual report.
The SPLC’s 2024 report, released Thursday, identified 1,371 extremist groups and said that their growing influence is fracturing communities and undermining U.S. democracy. Kirk discussed the matter during an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle.”
“Understand that they’re literally putting high school chapters of ours on a hate group next to the KKK and next to neo-Nazi groups,” Kirk told Laura Ingraham.
Kirk said that the SPLC’s label has real-world consequences, pointing to the 2012 attack on the Family Research Council, where a shooter cited the SPLC’s hate list as his inspiration. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins partly blamed the SPLC’s rhetoric for inspiring the shooting at his organization’s headquarters.
“Remember that there was a shooter that went to the Family Research Council years ago, inspired by the SPLC list. This is them trying to make us basically surrender at Turning Point USA,” Kirk added. Rather than back down, Kirk said that Turning Point USA would double its efforts.
“We’re going to do the opposite, and our students are only going to lean in even more. But they can’t debate us on our ideas. They cannot have dialogue. They cannot actually go onto the merits of why they are right or why we might be wrong,” Kirk said.
Kirk explained why he thinks Turning Point made the list.
“They must smear us with the age-old one-liner that you are a racist or that you are a hater. And they’re finally realizing the power of Turning Point USA, which is why they put us on the list,” Kirk said.
The SPLC has drawn similar criticism in the past. In 2023, the SPLC added parental rights groups like Moms for Liberty and Parents Defending Education to its list of 1,225 so-called hate and extremist organizations, sparking backlash from conservatives who accused the group of smearing mainstream advocacy.
In 2023, former SPLC staffer Bob Moser called the organization a “highly profitable scam” that betrayed its own stated values. In a scathing essay published by The New Yorker, Moser accused the SPLC of exploiting donors while ignoring internal issues like racial discrimination and sexual harassment.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Fox News)
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
At Last, a Company With Integrity in the Gold IRA Industry
For several years, I’ve been vetting out precious metals companies in search of the best. I believe in gold and silver but it’s hard to find integrity in the Gold IRA industry. The vast majority operate with shady tactics and gigantic spreads that take advantage of Americans who simply want to protect their life’s savings.
I’ve found a handful that I like and I’ve worked with some of them. By no means would I “unrecommend” them because, again, I vetted them out and found them to be above the fold. Unfortunately, it isn’t hard to be better than the rest when the rest are so darn awful.
After years of searching, I finally found a company that truly operates with integrity. Augusta Precious Metals has three important attributes that set them far above the competition:
- Non-Commissioned Sales Team: I cannot stress how important and unique this is. With just about every other company in the Gold IRA industry, the sales teams make commission from every account they open. This means they steer their clients toward the gold and silver products with the highest commission. With Augusta Precious Metals, the team is solely focused on putting the best gold and silver for their clients into their IRA. They get paid to serve the best interests of the Gold IRA client, NOT their own commission pay.
- Incredibly Low Fees: Most Americans would be shocked if they knew the spread other Gold IRA companies charge. Augusta charges just 5% versus up to 45% elsewhere.
- No Pressure, No Gimmicks: There’s an understanding among most in the Gold IRA industry that fear and pressure is the way to go. Augusta Precious Metals takes a sober approach when working with clients because they hold integrity in the highest possible regard. This is why they don’t offer gimmicks like “free” or “bonus” silver. It’s also why they do not apply pressure tactics to get quick sales. Their educational and transparent approach to doing business is exceedingly rare in the Gold IRA industry.