Posted on 07/29/2011 4:06:33 AM PDT by DEConservative
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington violated their 501(c)3 mandate when they set out on a politically motivated smear campaign against former Delaware U.S. Senate candidate Christine ODonnell. The IRS has laid out criteria for organizations who receive special tax exemptions and rates and one of those criteria has to do with restrictions on political activism. Specifically, the IRS website states:
Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.
Certain activities or expenditures may not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For example, certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner.
There is a clear and obvious violation of the 501(c)3 charter by CREW in the first line of the IRS link above. CREW filed a very public FEC complaint against Christine ODonnell in an attempt to derail her political campaign. Heres video of CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan very publicly attacking Christine ODonnell just 5 days after she won her primary: Click Here for the video
SUE THEIR CORRUPT ASSES!!!
Won’t amount to squat.
Kill one head and another grows.
Then pull a sheet over your head and lie still.
Someone(s) from these type of groups needs to go to JAIL .....fines won’t work, slapping wrists won’t work....JAIL!!!!
I am just making a statement here Partner.
I make it judged on the past record of what this administration does when liberal or Democrat organisations break the rules.
I won’t be pulling a sheet over my head, I will be voting to oust this whole stinking klan, but I hope you don’t mind my speaking about my disgust with the whole thing.
I know you are making great strides ,I can see the results.
Hope she gets their c3 designation revoked.
SCREW screw’d up?
Yeah, watch the lamebrain media jump all over this.
Couldn’t aree more. Jail will go a long way to fixing this problem. Not just the underlings either. They need to RICO the lot of them. Charge them with felonies and pull the voting rights of the ones convicted.
Isn’t Melanie Sloan a former Biden staffer?
I don’t expect this administration to do anything, so what are her options? Can she file a civil suit and if so, would she be able to find out if there was collusion between Sloan and Biden on the charges?
I don’t disagree necessarily but I think we need to show that we’re not going to take their elitist swipes anymore.
Self delusion is the most attractive kind.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.