Did Mike Johnson work for a hate group? SPLC and Christian law firm have sparred over label

Since U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., won the Oct. 25 election for House speaker, the public has gotten a crash course on the previously low-profile member of Congress. As details of his political life emerged, a social media influencer claimed in a viral video that he has been affiliated with a hate group.

Johnson previously worked for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative law firm that played a pivotal role in the case that led the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down protected federal access to abortion.

The Southern Poverty...