Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLM), noting concerning patterns of behavior after allegations over the misuse of donations.
Rokita announced the filing of the lawsuit in a news release from his office on Thursday.
I filed a lawsuit against the Black Lives Matter organization to protect Hoosiers from this house of cards. BLM has concerning patterns of behavior & we’ll do what it takes to get to the bottom of it on behalf of generous Hoosiers who have donated to them.https://t.co/5U2lJtU7cO
— Todd Rokita (@AGToddRokita) April 28, 2022
“Protecting Indiana consumers from this house of cards is critical,” Rokita said. “There are concerning patterns of behavior from this organization, and we will do what it takes—including this lawsuit—to get to the bottom of it.”
The concerns addressed in the legal proceeding came following a report in February by BLM that the organization raised $90 million in 2020 from 30 affiliates, including one chapter in South Bend, Indiana. The IRS filing by BLM for the first half of 2020 listed $0 during the same time period.
Under the state’s law, failure to comply with the investigation could lead to BLM being banned from future fundraising in Indiana.
“There are many Indiana stakeholders and donors who have been impacted by these allegations. This lawsuit will allow for a court to swiftly and efficiently resolve the state’s request for information,” Rokita said.
Rokita also addressed the legal concern in an op-ed published by the Washington Examiner on Friday.
“Back in October 2020, for example, leaders of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation bought a $6 million mansion in Southern California,” Rokita wrote.
“As Indiana’s attorney general, I wouldn’t necessarily make such events my business,” he added. “But I do make it my business when charitable donors here in my state get scammed. A big part of my job is protecting Hoosier consumers, and I take that responsibility very seriously.”
During a Sunday interview on Fox News, Rokita also addressed the corporations that donated to the BLM.
“For the woke corporation that gave millions of dollars and others on the left, they should know that I’m not going to give up,” Rokita said.
“I think they’d rather just us forget about this episode, forget about the mansions, forget about everything else – and we’re not because we can’t be this gullible again,” he added.
The Daily Wire reported last month that BLM’s leadership spent nearly $6 million in donations to purchase a 6,500-square-foot California mansion with the help of a high-powered Democratic Party law firm. Internal messages show the leadership scurrying to explain how the charity intended to use the home.
The seven-bedroom home, known as the “Campus,” was purchased in October 2020. The sprawling complex includes “several fireplaces, a soundstage, a pool and bungalow, and parking for more than 20 cars, according to real-estate listings,” wrote Sean Campbell in New York Magazine late Monday morning.
“The transaction has not been previously reported, and Black Lives Matter’s leadership had hoped to keep the house’s existence a secret,” added Campbell, who said he had seen leaked internal memos, emails, and messages about the heretofore unknown real estate purchase.