Post by Logan on Jun 20, 2016 7:30:47 GMT -6
Watchdog wants federal probe of Mich. group's political spending
WASHINGTON — A legal watchdog group in the nation’s capital wants the IRS to investigate whether a nonprofit Michigan organization linked to a well-known Republican communications firm in Lansing violated tax rules by failing to report $290,000 in political contributions in 2014.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed complaints with the Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday against 10 nonprofit social welfare organizations, including Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, whose president is Steve Linder, a partner at Sterling Corp. in Lansing.
Linder referred a call from the Free Press on Wednesday morning to the organization’s lawyer, who did not immediately return a request for comment. Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility (MCFR) also was among six organizations CREW included in a criminal complaint sent to federal prosecutors.
The "Citizens United decision opened up the floodgates for dark money groups to spend on politics,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. “But there are still some limits to the amount of spending and secrecy these groups are permitted and too many brazenly ignore these modest limits.”
Read more: www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2016/06/15/watchdog-wants-federal-probe-mich-groups-political-spending/85923390/
WASHINGTON — A legal watchdog group in the nation’s capital wants the IRS to investigate whether a nonprofit Michigan organization linked to a well-known Republican communications firm in Lansing violated tax rules by failing to report $290,000 in political contributions in 2014.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed complaints with the Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday against 10 nonprofit social welfare organizations, including Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, whose president is Steve Linder, a partner at Sterling Corp. in Lansing.
Linder referred a call from the Free Press on Wednesday morning to the organization’s lawyer, who did not immediately return a request for comment. Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility (MCFR) also was among six organizations CREW included in a criminal complaint sent to federal prosecutors.
The "Citizens United decision opened up the floodgates for dark money groups to spend on politics,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. “But there are still some limits to the amount of spending and secrecy these groups are permitted and too many brazenly ignore these modest limits.”
Read more: www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2016/06/15/watchdog-wants-federal-probe-mich-groups-political-spending/85923390/