Tomorrow, House Republicans in the Judiciary Committee are holding yet another hearing attacking the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) after the Trump DOJ indicted the group as part of Trump’s vindictive weaponization campaign. This time, it appears House Judiciary Republicans are celebrating Pride Month by deploying two witnesses who serve as extreme anti-LGBTQ+, right-wing surrogates. Ryan Bangert is a top figure at the Alliance Defending Freedom, a group which has spent the past two decades fighting LGBTQ+ civil rights cases in courts and legislatures across the country. Alveda King, niece of MLK Jr., is a right-wing media darling and Trump administration appointee who has used her platform and family name to oppose LGBTQ+ rights.
This isn’t the first time House Republicans have abused their congressional oversight powers to pursue investigations into President Trump’s personal enemies. Jim Jordan and his committee have spent years holding political stunt hearings. This far-right witness slate offers absolutely no insight into the circumstances surrounding the SPLC indictment. Instead of pursuing actual oversight or addressing the issues Americans actually care about, like the cost of living or health care affordability, House Republicans are focused on pushing Trump’s agenda and attacking their political enemies through stunt hearings featuring partisan witnesses.
WITNESSES
Ryan Bangert
Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Special Counsel to the President, Alliance Defending Freedom
Bangert Is the Senior Vice President of the Far-Right Alliance Defending Freedom. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is one of the most influential right-wing Christian advocacy groups in the country, with ties to powerful Republicans like Justice Amy Coney Barrett, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Senator Josh Hawley. The Servant Foundation, a well-endowed Christian philanthropy effort known for supporting arch-conservative causes, is also one of ADF’s biggest financial backers — to the tune of $50 million over three years.
- Bangert Contends the ADF Merely “Hold[s] Déclassé Beliefs” — But the SPLC Designated the ADF A Hate Group For Good Reason. Bangert has sought to downplay ADF’s extreme agenda, contending that it is merely a mainstream conservative and religious organization “that hold[s] déclassé beliefs.” But the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) a hate group for good reason:
- “Enemy of Equality”: The ADF Has Stood Against LGBTQ+ Rights In Most Landmark Cases of the 21st Century. Top LGBTQ+ advocacy groups like GLAAD and Human Rights Campaign (HRC) have called out ADF’s anti-LGBTQ+ record for decades, with HRC naming ADF “an enemy of equality.” ADF has opposed even basic rights for gay and lesbian couples and transgender people. In 2003, ADF filed an amicus curiae brief in Lawrence v. Texas, supporting Texas’s right to criminalize consensual sex between LGBTQ+ adults. The ADF also played a key role in opposing LGBTQ+ civil rights protections in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, and Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018), which addressed discrimination on the basis of sexuality. The ADF also filed amicus briefs at the European Court of Human Rights in cases involving mandatory sterilization requirements for transgender individuals seeking legal gender recognition.
- The ADF Is Spearheading the Right-Wing Legal Agenda Against LGBTQ+ Rights. The ADF even claimed that a “homosexual agenda” will destroy Christianity and society. Most recently, ADF has helped spearhead right-wing efforts to end health care coverage for transgender care, legalize conversion therapy nationwide, ban trans youth from accessing life-saving health care, bar trans athletes from competing in high school sports, and ban drag shows.
- ADF Helped Overturn Roe v. Wade. ADF was responsible for drafting Mississippi’s restrictive abortion law, and later defended the law before the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Months later, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade’s federal abortion protections, invalidating abortion rights for tens of millions of Americans. ADF is now pushing a new lawsuit aiming to end federal regulatory approval for a drug used for more than half of all abortions in the country.
- Bangert Worked For Several Republican Attorneys General Before Joining ADF. Prior to joining ADF, Bangert worked in the offices of several state-level GOP attorneys general. He served as Deputy AG for Civil Litigation in the Missouri AG’s office between 2017 and 2019, then joined the Texas AG’s office. He left in November 2020, shortly after reporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to the FBI due to Paxton using state resources to help a political donor and personal friend. Bangert later testified against Paxton during his impeachment trial.
- Bangert Pushes Legal Papers Opposing LGBTQ+ Rights. Bangert has published several essays and reviews opposing LGBTQ+ rights. In 2022, Bangert co-authored a law review paper opposing trans-inclusive public school policies. In February 2026, Bangert wrote an essay for the University of Texas at Austin’s Civitas Institute arguing against sex-equality legal standards in anti-discrimination law. Banger has also published multiple articles for the Christian Nationalist journal “American Reformer.”
Alveda King
Chair of the Center for the American Dream, America First Policy Institute
King Is a Right-Wing Mainstay. The niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Alveda King is one of the most visible Black conservative voices in right-wing media, regularly appearing on Fox News as a contributor and writing dozens of columns for Newsmax. She has appeared on Focus on the Family’s James Dobson Family Talk Program, amplifying her anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ views to Dobson’s large evangelical audience. King has also used her media platform to promote her pro-Trump book, “Why Trump?” in which she writes: “Trump is my President. I’ve got my vote and my prayers. Both are in favor of President Trump and his ‘promises made and promises kept.’”
King Has Close Ties to the Trump Administration. King, who Trump himself has called “a tremendous fighter for justice,” is a key figure in Trump’s orbit, occupying a formal government role as well as working for a group with deep ties to his inner circle:
- King Occupies a Formal Government Role in the Second Trump Administration. King currently serves as Senior Advisor on Faith and Community Outreach at the Department of Agriculture after being appointed by Trump in 2025.
- King Works for the America First Policy Institute, A Right-Wing Think Tank With Deep Ties to Trump. The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is a right-wing think tank founded by former Trump administration officials with the explicit goal of preparing for a second Trump administration. The New York Times has described AFPI as “closer than any other outside player” to Trump and his inner circle.
King Has A Longstanding Anti-LGBTQ+ Record. Alveda King has a long record of anti-LGBTQ+ statements, including arguing that same-sex marriage is incompatible with civil rights, publicly opposing the NAACP’s support for marriage equality, and claiming that homosexuality is sinful behavior that can be overcome through faith. She has repeatedly invoked her uncle’s name to legitimize anti-LGBTQ+ positions that the broader King family has actively distanced itself from. King’s invocation of her uncle’s legacy to legitimize right-wing positions has been criticized by civil rights scholars and other King family members who have noted that the broader King family legacy is fundamentally at odds with the positions Alveda promotes.
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