White House senior adviser Stephen Miller was in frequent communication with a Breitbart News editor in the run-up to the 2016 election to pitch stories based on white nationalist ideas and the work of prominent hate figures, according to hundreds of leaked emails that led to a new investigative series by Michael Edison Hayden of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

One group whose ideas Miller shared repeatedly with former Breitbart editor Katie McHugh, who leaked the emails to SPLC, is the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), an anti-immigrant nonprofit founded by influential white nationalist and eugenecist John Tanton. Since its founding in 1985, the center has focused on racist fearmongering over immigrants and promoting the writings of prominent white nationalists and antisemites. SPLC has designated CIS as an anti-immigrant hate group.

“One of the most troubling aspects of these findings is the crossover between legitimate funding sources with established hate groups being allowed to operate within their parameters in order to move money around,” Imraan Siddiqi, executive director of the Arizona branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told Sludge. “This speaks to a major issue that exists today in the world of philanthropy.”

“Anti-Muslim hate groups such as CIS have a direct impact on Muslim communities on a ground level,” Siddiqi said. “Organizations that spread false and misleading information about vulnerable communities often serve as a radicalizing force when it comes to the actual hate and violence we see…During the Trump era we have seen this fear-mongering result in massive spikes in hate crimes and violent plots against our communities. Therefore, it is extremely troubling that these groups are able to operate with such impunity.”