Sean Hannity’s Freedom CONcert Scam

Debbie Schlussel Blog Post ^ | March 18, 2010 | Debbie Schlussel

[TRY ONE]

For the last several years, Sean Hannity and the Freedom Alliance “charity” have conducted “Freedom Concerts” across America. They’ve told you that they are raising money to pay for the college tuition of the children of fallen soldiers and to pay severely wounded war vets. And on Friday Night, Hannity will be honored with an award for this “Outstanding Community Service by a Radio Talk Show Host” at Talkers Magazine’s convention.

But it’s all a huge scam.

[Cold Heat]

The assets are the charity!

The funds are held in a trust or escrow to be used when the time comes and the little kids grow up to go to college. Given some time I can weed through their tax return and find out what vehicle they use for this, but these numbers for 2007 that the author claimed were the only disbursements are total BS.

[Hot Tabasco]

They exist to do good. What a horrible bunch of distorted dribble.

Maybe to your sister they do but there seems to be a lot of stuff going on in the background that your sister would not have info about.........

I like Hannity and listen every day but if Schlussel's information is true then Hannity has a lot to explain...........

Schlussel is not a leftist wacko so I can't imagine any agenda she may have........

Let the investigations begin and let the truth be known to everyone..........

[old curmudgeon]

Would you suggest that they give $50,000 to the 5 year old kids who dad was killed in service or would you recommend that they wait until the kid is of college age?

I think someone has already pointed out that the $19 million in securities is a trust fund to be paid out as the kids get of college age.

Regardless, it would be much smarter to find out what the actual plan is before getting critical.

$19 million invested properly will be one really nice pot for the education of the children, but adding a few million every year to it as well and it will assure those kids of the opportunity.

Lets get some facts before spouting off.

[Cold Heat]

That bogus number came supposedly from the 2007 return...right?

I'm looking at the program expenses related to the work they do that does not include admin expenses and it is 6,084,474 dollars for that year. This does not include investments for future payouts or anything else. It is what they spent on charitable works. Period.

[Wpin]

I don’t think so...this is a very very good organization.

They enjoy a four out of four star rating by the Charity Navigator organization. This is an independent charity rating org. You will see that Freedom Alliance actually spends about 80% of its expenditures directly to programs...it has numerous programs by the way, not just scholarship grants. The administrative costs are about 5%

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6590

[Cold Heat]

In that same year, they banked about 5.1 mil in savings and expended about a million for fund raising expense. The management costs were about 750K.

You want me to break all that out for you. This is the year Schlussel got here data from!

She's pulling someones finger but it ain't mine.

[Hot Tabasco]

I don’t think so...this is a very very good organization.

Don't get me wrong, I'm on your side but this Schlussel article lists a lot of "alleged substantiated information" that I really hope is not true...........

[ColdWater]

They spend about 80% of their expenditures directly on their programs...their administrative expenditures make up almost 5% of their costs.

hmmm. They spent $438 thousand administering the distribution of $802 thousnd in scholarships. That one item alone is more than your "5%".

[Pharmboy]

OK...if their data show that most of the money goes to the kids, then fine. It sure didn’t look that way from the returns. When the dust settles, if they’re above-board, then I will eat the crow. AFAIC for now, the jury’s still out.

[Cold Heat]

I wonder if Schlussel took all this crap from the Daily Kos 2007 hit piece and is just regurgitating it.

If so, she is a pinhead.

[grateful]

Precisely. They do much more than just give out grants and scholarships. I'm not sure, but I think a lot of their other programs go under "expenses" because they are not cash grants. They give to the troops in other ways than cash handouts.

If any of you are unsure, just go to the website and SEE what they do yourself.

Support Our Troops
Troop Appreciation Dinners & Events

And for those of you wondering about high postage expenses...

Gifts From Home

[ColdWater]

I think someone has already pointed out that the $19 million in securities is a trust fund to be paid out as the kids get of college age.

Nothing official to back that up.

[Glenn]

They give to the troops in other ways than cash handouts.

Hannity assured me over and over that the money was going to aid veterans and the children of veterans continuing their education.

If that is not what is happening, then he lied to me.

He should be put on the street if so.

[grateful]

They also run a Leadership Academy for 14-18 year olds. I'm sure a lot of that goes into "expenses" too.

[Cold Heat]

I'm not a tax attorney but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Expess once....LOL...

No seriously, I do my own taxes for a sub s corporation and I can read the crap. The Alliances efficiency as a charity is top notch. Very low overhead compared to others.

There is a lot of smoke in this article. If you do a search fo the Freedom Alliance and hannity you get a old 1997 Daily Kos hit piece that states the same identical claims that Debbie expanded on and got it all wrong as was the Kos piece.

This charity looks clean as a whistle.

Now....we have the matter of the freedom concerts which are not associated with the charity. They set them up as collaboration's and they donate a portion of the gate to Freedom Alliance.

How they tie Hannity to the Alliance is beyond me because he's a donor, not a charity and he is not on the letterhead.

[AnnaZ]

I would never believe anything Debbie Schlussel wrote unless it was backed up by at least three other sources. Anytime I click on a thread and see her name as author, I click back.

[Pharmboy]

Fair enough...thanks for your good information delivered in an appropriate manner. Always appreciated...

[AnnaZ]

You're too funny and too kind. I'll take Hannity's job for a tenth of the salary.

=)

[Cold Heat]

You have to take it from the mission statement and the common use of securities and savings vehicles to grow the fund for expected future needs as they arise but all within the mission and the purpose of the charity. All charities have them. There is a place on the tax return where they put the excess. There is a form where they say what they did with it and the folks who monitor charities follow the data so you can be assured it is all public.

[Cold Heat]

I can’t imagine what she is up to. This blog post is pure KOS kids drivel.