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Advocacy Blog
Friday, December 07, 2007
Political Intervention Complaints Continue
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has already started receiving complaints related to the 2008 election. Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) have filed a complaint with the IRS, asking for an investigation into Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. AU charges that Falwell used school resources to endorse Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Falwell hosted the candidate at Liberty University and then sent an e-mail message on Liberty University letterhead endorsing Huckabee. An AU press release states;
In a "Liberty News Alert" dated Dec. 1, 2007, Falwell wrote, "Recently, Governor Mike Huckabee called to brief me on the progress of his campaign for the presidency. I invited the Governor to speak to the Liberty University students in Convocation on November 28. He graciously accepted. I was so impressed with the Governor's sincerity and his positions on the issues that are important to conservative Christians that I personally endorsed Governor Huckabee before he left Lynchburg." . . . The alert was accompanied by an article from a university-run online publication implying that Huckabee is God's candidate.
Leaders of nonprofit organizations are allowed to endorse candidates as private individuals, but are prohibited from using their organization's resources to support or oppose candidates. Additionally, the IRS does not comment on what organizations or people it is investigating.
Posted by Amanda Adams
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