The IRS and CAIR

by Frank Gaffney

IRS logo CAIR logo

On November 17, 2009, a prominent Senator and five leading Members of Congress sent a letter to the IRS asking for an investigation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) concerning their possible violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act which limits the expenditures a non-profit can spend on lobbying  If CAIR has exceeded the limits of that law, they risk losing their non-profit status.  Other penalties may be more severe:  if the Secretary of the Senate or Clerk of the House of Representatives determines that CAIR should have registered and find “a knowing violation by a preponderance of the evidence,” CAIR could be “subject to a civil fine of not more than $200,000, depending on the extent and gravity of the violation,”  and if CAIR “knowingly and corruptly failed to comply,” they could be subject to imprisonment up to 5 years.    Our separate analysis of CAIR tax returns, compared to audio evidence recorded in 2006, reveals another potential issue for IRS investigators – more on that follows below…

The November 17 letter to the IRS was signed by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), Ranking Member on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.    The members of Congress signing the letter also have extensive experience in intelligence, counter-terrorism and investigations:

  • Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), Deputy Whip, founder of the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus, who also serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
  • Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), who serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee
  • Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), who serves on the United States House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment
  • Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), who serves on the  Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
  • Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who serves on the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Our own investigation revealed another problem CAIR may have with the IRS.

(more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | | Bookmark and Share

Tags: , , , ,
Posted Nov 18th 2009 at 10:37 am in Culture, Justice/Legal, News, Politics | 37 Comments