Posted on 09/12/2010 8:12:43 AM PDT by Qbert
WASHINGTON — With a war chest rivaling that of the Republican Party itself, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has emerged in the last year as perhaps the Obama administration’s most-well-financed rival on signature policy debates like health care and financial regulation.
Critics on the left have long complained about the chamber’s outsize influence. But now they are taking on the business association directly, charging in a complaint filed Friday with the Internal Revenue Service that it violated tax codes by laundering millions of dollars meant for charitable work from a group with ties to the insurance giant A.I.G.
The complaint was brought by a group called U.S. Chamber Watch, which was created four months ago — with the strong financial backing of labor unions — to scrutinize the Chamber of Commerce’s growing influence and provide a counterbalance.
But chamber officials said they had complied with all tax laws and dismissed the complaint as a political ploy.
A chamber spokeswoman, Tita Freeman, said its opponents “are desperately looking for opportunities to undermine the chamber’s efforts to promote free markets and economic growth.”
The I.R.S. refused to comment on the complaint, citing the confidentiality of taxpayer records.
[Snip]
Lawyers for Chamber Watch said their research, based largely on public tax filings, found that none of the principal on some $12 million in loans had been paid back and that the money appeared to have been given to the chamber’s foundation for unrestricted use.
[Snip]
But Stan Harrell, chief financial officer for the Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview Friday that the chamber’s lawyers and its accountants at Ernst & Young had reviewed the Starr Foundation funding and found that it complied with all relevant tax law.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Progressive fascism in action. Use the power of the Government to harass and intimidate any effective political foe
Times is going into full-time spin for Team Obama. Hit piece on Boehner, another on the Chamber, a piece about peace-loving Muslims who worked at World Trade etc. It’s going to be like this until the Obama clowns and Dems are run out of town.
ahhh, the dummies are sicing the IRS on it’s political enemies. JUST like NIXON!!!!
It is time to attack labor unions with law suits. Let’s get serious; we are at war with Islamists AND the American Left. Tbere should be no quarter asked or given!
Unions are just as dangerous to America as the Islamofascist. These two are natural allies.
“A chamber spokeswoman, Tita Freeman, said its opponents “are desperately looking for opportunities to undermine the chamber’s efforts to promote free markets and economic growth.”
If that’s all they promoted, it would be great, but the chambers biggest push is for AMNESTY. And they’ll help Obama all they can on that one.
When Lou Dobbs was on the air he did a marvelous job of exposing the Chamber of Commerce as a prime force in support of the illegal alien invasion. The Chamber loves those low wages with no benefits - and also the fact that it SUPPRESSES the wages of hard working citizens. Consider the very NAME of the organization. FOLLOW THE MONEY!
AMEN; they disagree and conflict with the Obama administration, so they’ll try to take them down. Watch for classic features of Alinskyism on this one.
If that’s all they promoted, it would be great, but the chambers biggest push is for AMNESTY. And they’ll help Obama all they can on that one.
So true. Everyone forgets that the Collective of Communists...er Chamber of Commerce...is one the biggest supporters of Illegal Alien Amnesty. Obama is going to give the Collective a pass because they support him on Amnesty.
Bingo.
Eggsactly!
The left is in an all-out war
It will go on forever as long as they control TV with their Saudi allies who want sharia.
My business is going to rejoin the US Chamber of Commerce as they are fighting for the American Business and the American way of life.
Obummer and team need to be removed from office as they are the most unethical group to ever have fooled the American public.
Axelrod and company have really crapped on the American business community
The Chamber of Commerce is tool liberal for me. Ditto the NRA.
The Chamber s*cks. They are pro-amnesty. Now their hero - Obama and his unions are attacking them. LOL! Sleep with devil and you wake up with fleas.
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