I.R.S. Finds Sharp Increase in Illegal Political Activity [View All]

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February 25, 2006

I.R.S. Finds Sharp Increase in Illegal Political Activity

By STEPHANIE STROM
The I.R.S. said yesterday that it saw a sharp increase in prohibited political activity by charities and churches in the last election cycle, a trend that it aims to reverse as the country heads into the midterm elections.

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The complaints by the group include one on July 15, 2004, against Jerry Falwell Ministries, saying falwell.com had endorsed President Bush and urged readers to donate $5,000 to the Campaign for Working Families. Such activities are illegal, Mr. Lynn said, and the Web site was quickly changed.

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All Saints Church, a liberal Episcopal church in Pasadena, Calif., is among those awaiting a decision. The agency began an investigation after a former pastor gave a sermon in which he imagined a debate among Jesus, President Bush and Senator John Kerry and in which he criticized the Iraq conflict.

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"The I.R.S. agent assigned to All Saints doesn't even return my calls," Mr. Owens said. "The I.R.S. sent an inquiry and then an examination letter. It has never done anything further."

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/25/national/25charity.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Are they trying to correlate these two situations?