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http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/conservative-military-charity-faces-serious-allegations
Conservative military charity faces serious allegations
08/05/14 12:31 PMUpdated 08/05/14 12:32 PM
By Steve Benen
Any time a charity is accused of fraud, its alarming, but especially during a war, theres something even more outrageous about dubious charities that claim to be helping veterans and active-duty military personnel.
Last year, for example, Florida Gov. Rick Scotts (R) lieutenant governor, Jennifer Carroll, was forced to abruptly resign over her connections to something called Allied Veterans of the World. The Florida-based non-profit was accused of trying to defraud the public and governmental agencies by misrepresenting how much of its proceeds were donated to charities affiliated with Veterans Administration.
This year, a Tea Party affiliated group called Move America Forward, is facing allegations every bit as serious. Kim Barkers piece in The Daily Beast raises serious questions the charity will have to answer quickly.
Yet an examination of its fundraising appeals, tax records and other documents shows that Move America Forward has repeatedly misled donors and inflated its charitable accomplishments, while funneling millions of dollars in revenue to the men behind the group and their political consulting firms.
Barkers report raises allegations that, if true, may point to illegalities, including the possible use the charitys funds to subsidize conservative political action committees.
Russo is better known for helping to form the Our Country Deserves Better PAC, also known as the Tea Party Express, one of the largest Tea Party groups in the country. Consultants from his Sacramento-based firm, Russo, Marsh and Associates, also set up two other PACs, the Move America Forward Freedom PAC and the Conservative Campaign Committee, to aid conservative causes and candidates.
According to its tax returns, Move America Forward paid out more than $2.3 million about 30% of the groups overall expenditures to Russo or his firm.
Barker talked to a former Tea Party Express consultant who said, It was just so shady. With PACs, I know its dirty money its politics. But this is a charity thats supposed to be helping the troops.
Its not clear who, if anyone, is handling the day-to-day management of this charity. The organizations former executive director left in 2012 and does not seem to have been replaced.
The same report goes on to detail instances in which Move America Forward falsely claimed to deliver care packages to troops, used photos in fundraising and promotional materials that belonged to other organizations, and even boasted to donors about a partnership with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that never existed.
And yet, despite all of this, Dave Weigel notes that Move America Forward benefited from testimonials from Dick Cheney, Rick Perry, Rush Limbaugh and other high-profile Republicans.
Obviously, the charges raised in this investigatory piece remain in the realm of unproven allegations. But given the evidence and seriousness of the potential wrongdoing, its easy to imagine law enforcement taking a keen interest in Move America Forwards records, bank accounts, and activities.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)Last edited Tue Aug 5, 2014, 09:41 PM - Edit history (1)
the political world. Not that all democrats are perfect, but cheating and fraud seem to be consistently ingrained into the republican psyche. And often that is the only way they get ahead, by bamboozling their herd and the public. ... relying on the good naturedness, naivety and gullibility of many well meaning Americans.
ZX86
(1,428 posts)These Tea Party scam artists need lots of scrutiny before giving them tax exempt status. Exploiting the troops in war zones to line their own pockets is just disgusting.