Senate Report Accuses Charities of Illegal Ties to Lobbyist

Five conservative nonprofit groups appear to have violated federal tax laws through their alliance with the Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a new Senate report has found, according to The Washington Post.

Mr. Abramoff has pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges involving his efforts to influence federal officials, mostly Republicans.

A report released by Democratic staff members of the Senate Finance Committee said that Mr. Abramoff used the organizations to launder money and persuade the groups to issue press releases and opinion articles stating their support of positions favored by his clients.

Montana’s Sen. Max Baucus, the senior Democrat on the committee, called on the Internal Revenue Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation to examine the organizations for possible wrongdoing.

The nonprofit organizations cited by the committee were: Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens Against Government Waste, the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, the National Center for Public Policy Research, and Toward Tradition, a religious group in Seattle.

Spokesmen for the groups denied the charges and said they were politically motivated.

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