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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; As the Back Mountain Chamber tries to sort out a controversy surrounding a calendar posting for an alleged hate group, former Congressman Lou Barletta is expressing support for Chamber executive director William Leandri.</p><p>Barletta also praised the ACT for America group, which critics have called an anti-Muslim organization.</p><p>Barletta, a Republican from Hazleton, said during his time as an elected official he &#8220;was proud&#8221; to work with ACT for America on issues of national security. </p><p>&#8220;On issues such as stopping terrorism, securing our border, and supporting law enforcement and our military, ACT for America advocates for the safety of every American, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion,&#8221; Barletta said.</p><p>The former congressman also had kind words for Leandri, who had been listed as ACT for America&#8217;s local chapter president. Leandri said he has since resigned from that position.</p><p>&#8220;Bill Leandri is a friend and has been a leader in our community for many years,&#8221; said Barletta. &#8220;It is a shame that the Southern Poverty Law Center is smearing a good man and organization simply because they disagree with them politically.&#8221;</p><p>Brigitte Gabriel, founder of ACT, was scheduled to speak at a Back Mountain church April 18, but the event has been cancelled.</p><p>The event was placed on the chamber&#8217;s calendar of events even though it was not a chamber-sponsored event.</p><p>Chamber officials said Tuesday they are looking into how the listing was placed on the calendar. </p><p>Leandri, meanwhile, disputed claims that ACT for America is a hate group, calling it &#8220;a good organization, very conservative, and not a hate group as characterized by the Southern Poverty Law Center.&#8221;</p><p>ACT for America describes itself as &#8220;the nation&#8217;s largest grassroots national security organization,&#8221; with more than 1 million members.</p><p>But the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has a long history of tracking hate and extremist organizations, disagrees, calling it &#8220;the largest anti-Muslim group in America.&#8221;</p><p>The Anti-Defamation League, another organization that tracks extremist groups and hate crimes, states on its website that &#8220;ACT propagates the hateful conspiracy theory that Muslims are infiltrating U.S. institutions in order to impose Sharia law.&#8221;</p><p><strong>SPLC &#8216;lost all credibility&#8217;</strong></p><p>Following media reports, the Back Mountain Chamber on Tuesday said it will investigate how and why Gabriel&#8217;s speech was placed on its calendar of events, adding that Leandri did not consult with the executive committee before deciding to include the event on the calendar.</p><p>A chamber ad hoc committee will investigate, then report to the board with its findings and recommendations the week of March 11.</p><p>The Southern Poverty Law Center has not responded to requests for comment. </p><p>That group itself has become a lightning rod for criticism.</p><p>In a June 2018 opinion column titled &#8220;The Southern Poverty Law Center has lost all credibility,&#8221; Washington Post columnist Marc A. Thiessen wrote this:</p><p>&#8220;The SPLC is a once-storied organization that did important work filing civil rights lawsuits against the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. But it has become a caricature of itself, labeling virtually anyone who does not fall in line with its left-wing ideology an &#8216;extremist&#8217; or &#8216;hate group.&#8217;&#8221; </p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_BILL-LEANDRI-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Leandri </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_BILL-LEANDRI-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Leandri </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_TTL102618Barletta1.Web_-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Barletta </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_TTL102618Barletta1.Web_-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Barletta </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Ex-congressman also praises ACT group</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Barletta offers support for ACT for America, Leandri