Calif. pastor says IRS is investigating his Huckabee endorsement

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

Southern Baptist pastor Wiley Drake said Wednesday that he is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service for endorsing GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee in a press release written on church stationery.

Under federal tax law, church officials can legally discuss politics, but they cannot endorse candidates or parties without risking their tax-exempt status. Most who do so receive a warning.

... On Aug. 11, Drake wrote a press release on letterhead from the First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park that announced his personal endorsement of Huckabee and asked all Southern Baptists to get behind the candidate.

... Americans United for the Separation of Church and State filed a complaint with the IRS. The group says Wiley lashed out against them with a press release on Aug. 14.


Read more: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/348/story/275861.html

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Good. Amen to Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

[dbonds]

2. As they should.

I just wish it wasn't so selective with the investigations (e.g. pushing republican party, bush in 2000, bush in 2004, ...)

[gratuitous]

3. Bummer, Pastor Drake

But he of all people should know the rules, and a personal endorsement of a candidate by name on church stationery is a triple no-no. I don't know what he's hoping to accomplish by announcing that he's under investigation by the IRS, but Drake shouldn't expect any groundswell of support for his stupidity.

[probablereason]

7. churches and IRS rules

He's looking for the same thing most folks fighting the IRS are looking for...sympathy based on the well deserved reputation of the IRS and an overlooking of the actual actions on his part that caused it all. He'll likely get it, as the IRS regs regarding churches are merely a rule regarding what revenue is subject to taxation and have nothing to do with separation of church and state. The IRS doesn't care if churches get involved in politics, and in fact nothing prevents churches from doing so, they just have to follow the same rules as anyone else, and comply with their tax status or change it to a new status that meets their goals.

In his case, he'll say that the IRS is waging war against christians, blah, blah, blah, send money, blah, blah blah. In fact, if I was a pastor looking to raise money, it would be a good oppo to be doing battle with the IRS. If Wesley Snipes can win...

[aquart]

4. Sounds right to me.

Which is what makes me so suspicious. This IS the Bush administration, right? They don't enforce the law. What's the political reason for this?

[harmonicon]

5. "Most who do so receive a warning"?!

WTF?! Isn't stopping this kind of shit what our country is supposed to be all about? Fuck them - all of those former warnings should be turned into prosecutions.

[GodlessBiker]

6. Church letterhead? Oopsie.

[goforit]

8. McCain getting buddy Bush to cause havoc on Huckabee

[santamargarita]

9. You bet! It's not for the rule of law!

K&R