“They’re the leading organization that identifies what hate groups in the country are.

“extremist organization

“Even if you don’t know who Heidi Beirich is, you actually do because she leads the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, which publishes the award-winning intelligence report

“the allegations are a misunderstanding of her work tracking hate groups

“extremist activity

“terrific leaders who are dedicating themselves to fighting the spread of extremism and speech online

“Unbeknownst to donors, some of their donated money was being used to fund the leaders and organizers of racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation and the National Alliance

“She is really probably the nation’s foremost expert on various forms of extremism, including the white supremacist, nativist and neo-confederate movements as well as racism in academia