Whitaker May Have Violated Group’s Tax-Exempt Status

    In this article by the Associated Press, they discuss how the new acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, made repeated statements in opposition to then presidential candidate, Hilary Clinton, while speaking for a group that is barred by its tax-exempt status from supporting or opposing political candidates during campaigns. Whitaker was the president and executive of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, a nonpartisan charitable organization before working for the Justice Department. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust describes itself as a nonpartisan government watchdog promoting ethics and transparency. The organization’s 501c3 status prohibits the organization from promoting one political candidate over another. In a few newspaper opinion pieces where Whitaker was identified as FACT’s leader, he criticized Hilary Clinton for the use of her private email server and for appointing her charity’s donors to boards of the State Department when she was Secretary of State. Whitaker was also quoted on a radio interview saying, “I don’t think anybody in the history of our country that served in the administration has been this bold in their private fundraising and their sort of giving favors.” Daniel Borochoff, the president of CHarityWatch said that statement appears to violate the IRS ban on engagement for or against a political party because it was highly critical of a political candidate. To read the full article, click here: https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/11/11/us/politics/ap-us-whitaker-partisan-charity.html

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