Conservative group fumbles disclosure in new tax document
The conservative nonprofit American Commitment is amending its 2013 tax return with the Internal Revenue Service after questions this week from the Center for Public Integrity.
The nonprofit — led by Phil Kerpen and receiving the majority of its funding from groups within the political network of billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch — misstated key identifying information about two of the four nonprofits it financially supported last year in documents filed earlier this week with the IRS.
Last year, American Commitment split $135,000 in donations among four groups, according to its new filing.
Two of the beneficiaries — New Jersey Family First, which received $30,000, and FRC Action, which received $28,000 — are politically active "social welfare" nonprofits organized under Sec. 501(c)(4) of the tax code.
However, the employer identification numbers listed by American Commitment in each case — known as EINs — belonged to related 501(c)(3) charities that, by law, can't engage in electoral politics.
FRC Action is the political wing of the Family Research Council that describes itself as "dedicated to preserving and advancing the interests of family, faith and freedom in the political arena." New Jersey Family First, likewise, is the political arm of the New Jersey Family Policy Council, which describes itself as dedicated to "creating culture changers at home, in the church, in the voting booth and in the public square."
During the 2014 election cycle, New Jersey Family First's political activity included spending about $25,000 to advocate against U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.
Kerpen confirmed to the Center for Public Integrity that the money from American Commitment went to the 501(c)(4) arms of the groups.
Related: Koch-linked organization uses ‘dark money’ to fight political disclosure
There’s more to this story. Click here to read the rest at the Center for Public Integrity.
This story is part of Primary Source. Primary Source keeps you up-to-date on developments in the post-Citizens United world of money in politics. Click here to read more stories in this blog.
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Copyright 2014 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
