Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin encouraged his colleagues at the Carlyle Group to donate to three organizations that promote “social justice,” including the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), according to a public letter he wrote last May.

Youngkin was CEO of the Carlyle Group when he and his co-CEO, Kewsong Lee, penned the letter on May 31, 2020, to employees, informing them their company would match any donations up to $1,000 made to the SPLC, the Equal Justice Initiative, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

The letter was written in the wake of nationwide protests and riots that began on May 26, the day after George Floyd died while in the hands of Minneapolis police.

The CEOs’ letter read, “Today, we are compelled to write to you in light of the racism and injustices we have witnessed recently.”

It continued:

As we are all witnessing in real time over the past few days, grief and rage have erupted more visibly in the form of civil unrest throughout the United States in reaction to a number of incidents directed against African-Americans, including the senseless death of George Floyd and a number of other recent incidents that are unacceptable and horrific.

[…]

Today, we are announcing a special match to support organizations that are working on social justice and reform of the US criminal justice system.  Carlyle will match donations up to $1000 to the organizations listed below [SPLC, Equal Justice Initiative, NAACP Legal Defense Fund] and it will not count towards your annual matching gifts limit of $2000.  You will receive details on how to make a donation by the end of the week.

The SPLC is a far-left fundraising giant aimed at “fighting hate” with a reputation for defaming its political opponents, including Ben Carson, Maajid Nawaz, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The SPLC designates the Ku Klux Klan as a hate group, for instance, but smears creditable groups like the faith-based Family Research Council and Alliance Defending Freedom, as well as the immigration think tank the Center for Immigration Studies, by simultaneously including them under the same “hate group” designation.

In a statement provided to Breitbart News, a spokesman for Youngkin said the Virginia Republican is “totally opposed” to the SPLC and emphasized his Christian background.

“Glenn has never given a dime to the SPLC and is totally opposed to their agenda,” the spokesman stated. “Other people at Carlyle supported it but Glenn never did. Glenn is a Christian and a conservative who served in his church for years, and he has donated millions of dollars to Christian charities and organizations.”

Youngkin, who spent 25 years at the Carlyle Group before retiring in September, also has a history of donating to Republicans, despite being a signatory on the May letter. Federal Election Commission records indicate he has donated hundreds of thousands to Republican groups and candidates over the past two decades, with the heftiest candidate contributions directed toward Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Barbara Comstock, and Rand Paul, among several others.

The former CEO also launched a seven-figure political action committee this month called “Virginia Wins” aimed at boosting Republican political candidates specifically in the commonwealth, where the political landscape has become bluer in recent years and Republicans have not won a race at the state level since 2009.

Youngkin is one of a handful of Republicans who are hoping this November to replace Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who is term-limited and cannot seek reelection. Other frontrunning candidates include businessman Pete Snyder and former Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox. On the Democrats’ side, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is the leading contender for his party.

A remote-style nominating convention will be held on May 8 to determine the Republican nominee.

Write to Ashley Oliver at aoliver@breitbart.com.