White House Briefing Memos re: Exempt Orgs and Charitable Contributions

I think I would have been a much better and more engaged tax student back at UF if the internet had been around back then.  Sheeesh, I feel old as old dirt!  Anyway, the Washington Post has a story today about the Clinton Foundation, basically suggesting that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sold the influence of her office in exchange for large contributions to the Clinton Foundation.  The whole thing might well amount to something later on but if the accusation is that donors gave big money to the Clinton Foundation with specific hopes of currying favor or influencing State Department policies, I am fairly agnostic about it. . . “nonplussed” I guess.  Maybe I should be more concerned.  But judging by the absence of comments to the story, I think I am not unlike most people.  I read all the way to the bottom of the article anyway where I found this link to some interesting briefing memos prepared for Hillary Clinton when she was first lady.  The memos talk about proposals to reduce the private foundation excise tax, increase the charitable contribution limit, and Paul Newman’s lobbying efforts with regard to his feeder organization (Newman’s Own).  They brief the first lady on the policy pros and cons, and distributional effects, of changing those provisions within the context of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 199.  I like to see (and show my students) behind the scenes or inner workings of legislative proposals.  Today’s students really have no reason to ever have a boring day in any tax class if you ask me.  

dkj