One hundred years ago, the KKK was meant to be an anonymous "ghost", whose members were only known to other members. It was often common knowledge, however, that powerful people in the community could be amongst its ranks, with a wink and a nod to propriety. It was this membership that gave it its awful power to be shielded from legal consequences. The local terrorist cells (part of a larger national organization) were largely immune to local prosecution, since those who would ostensibly be doing the prosecuting were often in the membership.
While the KKK does still exist, there are more overt groups who take part in more direct combat with the U.S. power structure. As opposed to targeting people of color, they target the government. It would seem, then, that membership in these groups and taking part in their anti-government actions would preclude said membership from employment by or election to the government.
Yet, according to a
leaked membership list, that is not the case:
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