June 1, 2006 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Seven Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Susan M. Collins of Maine and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, in recent years forwarded complaints to the Internal Revenue Service about the tax-exempt status of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, according to newly released federal records.
From 2000 through 2003, the lawmakers sent letters to the IRS on behalf of constituents who told them the civil-rights group might have violated federal laws against intervening in political campaigns. Under federal law, charities may not support or oppose a candidate for federal office. The NAACP posted the letters and other federal records, which it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, on its Web site (http://www.naacp.org).
The revenue service is currently conducting a lengthy review into whether a 2004 speech by Julian Bond, the charity’s chairman, might have violated the government’s ban on politicking by charities. The speech contained criticisms of President Bush’s policies and was made several months before Election Day.
NAACP officials said Mr. Bond’s speech was not improper, because he was commenting on general issues affecting the nation, and criticized the IRS for starting its investigation just weeks before voters went to the polls.
Marc Owens, a lawyer for the NAACP, said the newly released documents reveal widespread criticism of the civil-rights group by Republicans, much of it lacking substance, that raises questions about the motivation for the IRS audit. It is not clear from the records what led the IRS to begin the audit. Lawmakers say they routinely forward constituent queries to appropriate federal agencies.
The NAACP said the tax agency still has not provided much of the information it requested. Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York, the senior-ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, has written the IRS to urge the agency to respond fully to the NAACP.
