Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) grilled Defense Sec. Chuck Hagel on a Pentagon email warning Army officers to watch out for soldiers who do not support gay marriage or who disfavor Muslims, equating them with the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis. 

The Pentagon officer who sent this email reportedly got his information from a radical, leftist anti-Christian organization linked to a convicted terrorist.

As reported by Fox News’ Todd Starnes, Lt. Col. Jack Rich at Ft. Campbell sent an email warning Army officers to be on the lookout for soldiers connected with “domestic hate groups.” In his 14-page email, Rich identified groups that support traditional marriage or advocate strict border enforcement regarding illegal aliens as domestic hate groups.

This story is disturbing for several reasons, one of which is this U.S. military email was reportedly using the “domestic hate group” list created by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). This radical-left organization has listed Christian organizations such as the American Family Association and Family Research Council (FRC), immigration reform groups such as FAIR, and various Tea Party organizations as “hate groups.” The SPLC publicly claims they are no different than the KKK and Neo-Nazis, groups that engage in extreme violence and acts of terrorism.

Yet SPLC has itself now been linked to a domestic terrorist. As we covered in detail, on Aug. 15, 2012, Floyd Corkins attempted to go on a mass-shooting spree at FRC headquarters in Washington, D.C. with 100 rounds of ammunition. Corkins shot building manager Leo Johnson, yet the wounded Johnson disarmed Corkins, who was then captured alive. 

As part of a plea deal, Corkins signed a full confession in which he admitted that he selected his targets from SPLC’s hate group list and used the map SPLC put on its website to find FRC with the intent of murdering everyone in the building (several dozen people). He called himself a political activist and was going to kill everyone in the FRC building because FRC opposes redefining marriage to include gay marriage. 

Corkins was convicted on Feb. 6, 2013, of committing acts of domestic terrorism.

It is profoundly disturbing that anyone in the U.S. military would use material from such ultra-left zealots, who label organizations that disagree with them on a range of issues–not just social issues like marriage, but also national security issues (immigration) and economic issues (Tea Party groups)–as “hate groups.” 

Yet SPLC is the only group here that has actually been linked to a terrorist, one who was inspired to commit his despicable crime by none other than the same SPLC whose material the Obama administration’s military command is now using.

The terrible Boston bombing is a reminder what real terrorism looks like. The Obama administration needs to deal with this threat, not associate with radical-fringe organizations that convicted terrorists cite as their enablers.

Breitbart News legal columnist Ken Klukowski is also senior fellow for religious liberty at the Family Research Council.