The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has fired its founder, Morris Dees.
The SPLC announced Thursday afternoon that Dees—who in 1971 co-founded the far-left nonprofit, which has regularly been cited by major outlets over the years for its "hate" group designations that oftentimes lump Republican groups in with actual racist groups—has parted ways with its founder.
"As a civil rights organization, the SPLC is committed to ensuring that the conduct of our staff reflects the mission of the organization and the values we hope to instill in the world," Richard Cohen, the SPLC's president, said in a statement. "When one of our own fails to meet those standards, no matter his or her role in the organization, we take it seriously and must take appropriate action."
"Today we announced a number of immediate, concrete next steps we're taking, including bringing in an outside organization to conduct a comprehensive assessment of our internal climate and workplace practices, to ensure that our talented staff is working in the environment that they deserve—one in which all voices are heard and all staff members are respected."
The SPLC has amassed a lucrative amount of money for its operations. The group's most recent tax forms show that the SPLC now has a half billion dollars in assets despite a fall of more than $20 million in donations, the Washington Free Beacon recently reported. The group also now has $121 million parked in offshore accounts.
The SPLC could not be reached for comment on its firing of Dees.