Trump Thinks Scientology Should Have Tax Exemption Revoked, Longtime Aide Says

[DonViejo]

Source: HuffPost



11/09/2017 07:00 pm ET Updated 8 minutes ago

Lynne Patton told an actress the Trump family “couldn’t agree more” that the church shouldn’t be exempt.

By Yashar Ali

President Donald Trump believes the Church of Scientology should have its tax exemption revoked, a longtime family aide and current top official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development told an actress and producer in May.

In an unsolicited Twitter message, Lynne Patton, who has worked for the Trump family since 2009, told actress Leah Remini of Trump’s position and said she would interface with the IRS directly to seek more information in an effort to initiate revocation. Remini sent HuffPost copies of Patton’s messages and has declined to comment further.

It’s not clear if Patton ever communicated with the IRS. But if Trump did express an opinion on the church and Patton did contact the IRS about it, as her message suggests, that would be a highly inappropriate level of interference with the IRS by the administration, one expert said.

“For the White House or any administration official to try and influence who the IRS targets, for whatever reason, is wrong and could result in a violation of the law,” said Larry Noble, the former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission who is now a senior director of ethics and general counsel at the Campaign Legal Center. “The IRS must make these decisions independently without any influence by the White House or administration officials.”


Read more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-scientology-tax-exemption_us_5a04dd35e4b05673aa584cab?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004

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First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

[tymorial]

1. I couldn't agree more

Not to mention compensation for all the women who were forced to have abortions, back pay for all of those who were forced into slave labor, immediate refund of all donations without persistent smear campaigns and harassment. They have a billion tax free dollars in their coffers. They can afford it.

[Ilsa]

2. The church of Scientology harassed, on a personal basis,

IRS agents, suing them, all the way up the IRS ladder, and hassled them personally until they caved and gave them tax exempt status.

If they are a church, Lucifer is their diety.

[TygrBright]

3. A stopped clock... n/t

[spike jones]

11. A stopped clock is right twice a day.

BTW Off topic and as a measure of “Military Intelligence,” the military 24 hour clock is right only once a day.

[meadowlander]

40. A longtime aide of a stopped clock... he didn't have the guts to say it publicly.

[paleotn]

18. Yep.

[moreland01]

4. Pigs are Flying!

Never thought I'd see the day that I agree with the orange turd!

[flyingfysh]

5. The world has turned upside down

I finally agree with Trump about something. It feels very weird. (Scientology threatened to sue me twice)

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. The "trump family" is now setting tax policy?

Here's the motive:

Scientology is a rival con. They're conning the rubes out of money that the Trump family wants for itself.

There's nothing aboveboard about the position that the family is taking. They're motivated by greed, pure and simple.

There's room for only one family of grifters in this country.

[Rollo]

34. "No honor among thieves..."

[Codeine]

7. Looks like we agree on something, at least. nt

[Kaleva]

8. I agree.

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. Why stop there? There are a lot more bogus churches out there. I'd start with

Jim Bakker.

[NCjack]

26. Rev. Dr. Mike Murdoch. nt

[spike jones]

10. That would be a good start.

Then tax all the other religions.

[FakeNoose]

15. Point is ... Scientology isn't a church, it's not a religion

It's all as phony-fake as Trump's hairdo. It's all for show and to make certain people rich and powerful.

Real churches and religions do deserve their tax exemption.

[spike jones]

19. No they dont.

Religion is a cancer on human society. They are "all for show and to make certain people rich and powerful."
And the Christian religion is in the process of destroying democracy in this country. But you are right about Scientology.

[mdbl]

43. +1

[HughBeaumont]

47. +1000.

Sorry, but when I get a random long pamphlet "voting guide" sent out by a Catholic church espousing ultra right-wing anti-choice garbage (heavily criticizing Democratic principles), your tax exemption needs to go BUH-BYE.

Lots of hatred, humiliation and patriarchal submission is learned in the churches. It's no wonder corporate America has teamed hand in hand with them to dictate the United State's political narratives.

[rockfordfile]

30. Religion should be taxed.

[Skittles]

37. LOL

"real religions"

[keithbvadu2]

12. Precedent! What church(es) would be next?

Precedent! What church(es) would be next?

I'm no fan of Scientology.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/americas-true-history-of-religious-tolerance-61312684/?no-ist=;

Madison also made a point that any believer of any religion should understand: that the government sanction of a religion was, in essence, a threat to religion. "Who does not see," he wrote, "that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other Sects?" Madison was writing from his memory of Baptist ministers being arrested in his native Virginia.

[OnDoutside]

41. Or rather, cult.

[dembotoz]

45. Boy it's a slippery slope isn't it. What would constitute a trump approved church???

[bsiebs]

13. Ugh, I agree with tRump? But don't stop at just Scientology ...

Go after all religious corporations...

[Leith]

14. Revoking Tax Exemption Isn't Enough

That "church" needs some of their higher-ups prosecuted and jailed.

[katmondoo]

16. This is the first time I agree with the Trumpster

[David__77]

17. That's bullshit.

Scientology is not a monotheistic religion like Christianity, Islam, or Judaism. That doesn't mean that it doesn't address the spiritual domain.

[GoneOffShore]

24. Sorry, no. Scientology is bullshit.

It's only purpose, as stated by it's hideous founder(and crap author) is to extract money from the suckers.

Well, actually that's the purpose of all religions and 'spiritual' gurus.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

29. Correct. Does not deserve a tax exemption. . . . nt

[snooper2]

46. Exactly! All you have to do is pay $235,000 and the spirt of Tom Cruise

Will give you a single smack on the ass

[Dopers_Greed]

20. The only thing I agree with Trump on?

[paleotn]

21. So a fake pResident can spot a fake church...

I'll give him that, but I suppose it takes one to know one.

[Loyd]

22. Trump Making Sense on Something?

HAH! Good one, DV! You almost had me there for a moment!

[AnnieBW]

23. I agree with him there

Ick... I need to go take a shower.

[snort]

25. I feel weird.

[brewens]

27. Wait and see how fast he walks that back! n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. Good! Get Scientology & tRump fighting! That'll keep em both distracted. . . . nt

[Roland99]

31. But fake Christian churches will be able to endorse candidates and keep tax cuts??

[50 Shades Of Blue]

32. Fine but don't stop with Scientology!

[SergeStorms]

33. No.........

you mean there's an issue on which I agree with....................Donald Fucking Trump!

I feel so............unclean.

[Rollo]

35. In Trump's world, there is only one true God: Donald J. Trump

[Eugene]

36. I'm no fan of Scientology, but this is an abuse of power, and Trump won't stop there.

[meadowlander]

39. Scientology is a pyramid scheme and a cult.

The government isn't abusing it's power when it refuses to give tax exemptions to corrupt organisations that brainwash and kidnap people and steal all of their money.

If you do nothing else in response to this story, please watch "Going Clear" and then reconsider your take.

[Marie Marie]

38. Collecting taxes on that multi-million dollar fraudfest would pay for a lot of healthcare.

But of course, we KNOW that that is not where this influx of cash would go. Still, a girl can dream...

[jmowreader]

42. I'd like to see his justification for revoking the cult's tax exemption

Could this be a test run? I hate to use the "there are only two kinds of people" gambit, but there are only two kinds of people who know what Scientology is: Scientologists, and people who hate Scientology. (Almost everyone here is in the latter group. The rest of us wonder what Scientology is.)

There is a nonzero chance Trump wants to revoke tax exemption for churches that don't fit into the approved "hard right Judeo-Christian" category - the big one being Islam. To test the waters, they found America's most hated church. He would probably love to start by revoking Muslim churches' tax status, but if he started out there people would see this for what it is.

Put me in the "ah hell no!" category. The relatively small amount of money we could recoup by taking away the Scientologists' 501(c)(3) pales next to the amount of damage a dangerous president could do.

[spike jones]

48. Amendment I

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; …….”

One way to establish something is to finance it. Making laws that exempt churches from tax is like putting money in their bank account. That seems to be unconstitutional, but it does give every taxpayer the right to have a voice in how the churches are operated.

[HAB911]

44. After they kill the Johnson Amendment

we can push for all cults to lose exemptions

[olddad56]

49. all churches should lose their tax exemption, in my opinion.