The
Washington Post reports today that:
Five conservative nonprofit organizations, including one run by prominent Republican Grover Norquist, "appear to have perpetrated a fraud" on taxpayers by selling their clout to lobbyist Jack Abramoff...
According to the Senate report, which was authorized by Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA), these groups:
...probably violated their tax-exempt status "by laundering payments and then disbursing funds at Mr. Abramoff's direction; taking payments in exchange for writing newspaper columns or press releases that put Mr. Abramoff's clients in a favorable light; introducing Mr. Abramoff's clients to government officials in exchange for payment; and agreeing to act as a front organization for congressional trips paid for by Mr. Abramoff's clients."
The groups named in the report include:
*Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)
*Norquist's and Gale Norton's Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy
*Citizens Against Government Waste
*National Center for Public Policy Research
*Toward Tradition
According to Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), these groups "certainly violated the spirit, and perhaps the letter, of the laws that give charitable and social welfare organizations a break for the good work they're supposed to do."
Not surprisingly, given George Allen's ties to Jack Abramoff, there are connections here. Just a few weeks ago (9/26), for instance, Allen was named a "Hero of the Taxpayer" by the fraudulent Norquist group, ATR. Of course, the fact that Allen was only a "hero" to people like Jack Abramoff, Grover Norquist, and the richest 1% of Americans had nothing to do with his receiving this award. Nothing whatsoever. And if you believe that, I have some really nice swampland in southern Iraq to sell you!
Aside from ATR, George Allen appears to have been a hero of sorts to another group named in the new Senate report - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW). In September 2005, CAGW "urged the adoption of a constitutional amendment granting the power of a line item veto to the president," championed by George Allen, but later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Now, here's George Allen on the National Center for Public Policy Research: "I think those guys are brave and courageous... They've got guts." Yeah, they've got the "guts" to violate their tax status and to "act as a front organization for congressional trips paid for by Mr. Abramoff's clients." Nice.
As George Allen says, "You can tell a lot about people by the folks they stand with." You sure can, George! You sure can.
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.