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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJarrett’s partisan pulpit speech may have violated IRS church-state rules
Valerie Jarretts partisan speech at Atlantas Ebenezer Baptist Church may have violated the IRS tax rules for churches political activities, said a prominent free speech attorney.
It is problematic under current regulations, said Erik Stanley, a senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is campaigning to roll back IRS curbs on believers speech.
But if the IRS concludes that the church violated the IRS code, the ADF will represent the church, just as it would represent any church for what is said from the pulpit, he said.We believe in pulpit freedom, he said.
On Sunday President Barack Obamas controversial aide, Valerie Jarrett, used the Ebenezer pulpit to tell the congregation that the jobs of teachers, police and firefighters are now in jeopardy because Congress well, let me be specific because [of] the Republicans in Congress.
http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/17/jarretts-partisan-pulpit-speech-may-have-violated-irs-church-state-rules/#ixzz1kmZj6fNS
xchrom
(108,903 posts)Have been given & never get any attention?
former9thward
(31,936 posts)In Chicago the party Machine regularly uses churches to give campaign speeches. They also get ministers and priests for endorsements. Jarrett probably thought what is allowed in Chicago is allowed nationwide.
monmouth
(21,078 posts)hear a political speech. Was she conducting a religious service?
ingac70
(7,947 posts)the IRS didn't do shit about the 2 Repuke orgies called "Justice Sunday" at Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, TN, and they were CHARGING the regular parishioners to go to their own church to hear the likes of Tom DeLay and Bill Frist.
Initech
(100,038 posts)Justice Sunday was a huge political event at a church - it was all hardcore fundamentalists bashing left and there wasn't shit done about it.