
The news value to the Times
may lie more in the nature of the organization than its trouble with the
IRS. "In a famously left-leaning Hollywood, where Democratic
fund-raisers fill the social calendar, Friends of Abe stands out as a
conservative group that bucks the prevailing political winds," reads the
lead paragraph.
But Friends of Abe--as in Lincoln--has
sought nonprofit status under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Tax Code,
which would allow it to collect tax-deductible contributions. The IRS
has been reviewing the application for some two years, seeking
information about meetings where politicians spoke. A 501(c)(3) is
prohibited from engaging in campaign activity, such as hosting a
fundraiser, but as the Times notes, "tax-exempt groups are permitted to
invite candidates to speak at events."
The
most troubling revelation in the Times account is that at one point the
IRS "included a demand--which was not met--for enhanced access to the
group's security-protected website, which would have revealed member
names." The Times points out that FOA "keeps a low profile and fiercely
protects its membership list, to avoid what it presumes would result in a
sort of 21st-century blacklist" and that "tax experts said that an
organization's membership list is information that would not typically
be required."
With the possible
exception of academia, show business is about as totalitarian a
subculture as you will find in America. Conservatives are a tiny
minority, and they fear for their livelihoods if exposed. A few
high-profile celebrities are exceptions--the Times mentions Gary Sinise,
Jon Voight, Kelsey Grammer and Lionel Chetwynd--but for lesser-known
actors and people who work in off-camera jobs, confidentiality is
crucial.
This column obtained a letter that Jeremey
Boreing, FOA's executive director, sent members last week in response to
the Times story. Its tone demonstrates how seriously the group takes
its members' privacy:
At one point, as we were pushing to get the situation resolved, the IRS asked for access to those portions of our website that contain the names of our members. We refused to give them this access, and we will continue to refuse it.
At present, that is no longer one of the demands that they are making. . . .
We will not name names in Hollywood--not for the New York Times and not for the IRS. If the day should come that the IRS makes seeing the list an essential demand for our determination, we will simply remove our request for exemption and structure the organization in a different manner. This office will never reveal the names of our members, and we ask that none of our members reveal their fellows either.
We should note that, true to his word, Boreing names no names in the letter.
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