Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state and possible candidate for governor, has been one of the more controversial figures in that position across America.
Election security and schemes to vilify Republicans and other conservatives have been increasing concerns for voters in her state.
Now another level of scandal has developed for her: She’s been served with a lawsuit over her time on the board of the Southern Poverty Law Center, that far-left organization that has been indicted by the Department of Justice for wire fraud, false statements and other offenses.
The allegations stem from the apparent facts that the leftists on the SPLC were funding extremists, including those that pushed for the “United the Right” rally in Charlottesville that turned deadly, even while raising funds and telling donors they were working to eradicate those extremist movements.
MCR Special Teams and the Mike Cox law firm served Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson with SPLC-related court papers today. See you in court Jocelynpic.twitter.com/3H4EToWUiW
— Michigan College Republicans (@MichiganCRs) July 29, 2026
It was the Gateway Pundit that reported the lawsuit is part of the work of former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox.
Mlive confirmed the lawsuit is over what apparently is a failure to disclose public records through the Freedom of Information Act.
“The lawsuit, which names Benson and the Michigan Department of State (MDOS), alleges both are seeking to avoid disclosure of public records relating to Benson’s time on the board of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) until after the 2026 primary and general elections,” the report said. The SPLC boasts of categorizing pro-family and pro-life organizations in America alongside KKK chapters.
“The SPLC, a nonprofit that monitors the activities of white supremacist and other extremist groups, has been charged by federal prosecutors under the Trump administration for an informant program it previously ran,” Mlive said.
Cox, after the indictment, asked the state for records would would indicate continued communications between Benson, her agency and the SPLC, but the lawsuit was filed when the information was not provided.
It seeks civil fines and punitive damages.
“The citizens of Michigan are prevented from fully participating in the democratic process when the public records necessary to fully engage in that process are withheld from them,” the lawsuit filed by partner Melissa Wojnar-Raycraft at the Mike Cox Law Firm reads.
The report noted the SPLC and Benson “have come under scrutiny in recent months, after the U.S. Department of Justice announced an April indictment for 11 counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering concealment and false statements to a federally-insured bank.”
The charges are that the SPLC misled donors “when it paid more than $3 million in donated funds to informants inside white supremacist and other extremist organizations.”
The charges allege the extremists used some of the funds to carry out crimes.
Michigan Republicans have called on Benson to address her participation on the SPLC board.
Cox now has posted a warning to Benson on X:
“Jocelyn Benson – you can run, but you can’t hide.” He warned. “You’ve been served,” he added.
He said, “You served on the board of the SPLC that is now federally indicted for funding hate groups like the KKK while also serving as Michigan’s Secretary of State.”
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[ H/T WorldNetDaily ]
