Secretive group of Hollywood conservatives suddenly dissolves

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

The Friends of Abe has acted as a clandestine club for Hollywood conservatives for more than a decade, hosting secret events where they could vent rightwing views and hear speeches from visiting Tea Party luminaries.

But on Thursday the organisation – which counts Jon Voight, Jerry Bruckheimer and Kelsey Grammer among its 1,500 members – made an abrupt announcement: it was dissolving.

“Effective immediately, we are going to begin to wind down the 501 c3 organization, bring the Sustaining Membership dues to an end, and do away with the costly infrastructure and the abespal.com website,” the executive director, Jeremy Boreing, told members in an email, a copy of which the Guardian has seen.

“Today, because we have been successful in creating a community that extends far beyond our events, people just don’t feel as much of a need to show up for every speaker or bar night, and fewer people pay the dues that help us maintain that large infrastructure.”

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/21/secretive-hollywood-conservative-group-dissolves-trump?CMP=fb_gu

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In 2014, the IRS granted 501c3 status to FOA, albeit after some scrutiny (this was from a 1/23/14 NYT article):

Now the Internal Revenue Service is reviewing the group’s activities in connection with its application for tax-exempt status. Last week, federal tax authorities presented the group with a 10-point request for detailed information about its meetings with politicians like Paul D. Ryan, Thaddeus McCotter and Herman Cain, among other matters, according to people briefed on the inquiry.

[silvershadow]

1. Good riddance. nt

[Helen Borg]

6. I see this as ominous, actually...

It's like they are saying that they metastasized.

[silvershadow]

7. 1/2 of them were probably Scientologists, so probably. nt

[EllieBC]

8. Scientology spreading is chilling.

Nt

[Helen Borg]

10. Watch the movie "The Invitation"

For something chilling of this sort...

[EllieBC]

11. I have heard it's a good film.

I could never see Scientologists becoming a suicide cult though. They are way too vain and smug to think they need to exit.

[complain jane]

3. Bye!

[uriel1972]

4. Don't let the door hit you on the way out!...

[OnyxCollie]

5. The Restriction of Political Campaign Intervention by Section 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations

The Restriction of Political Campaign Intervention by Section 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations
https://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable-Organizations/The-Restriction-of-Political-Campaign-Intervention-by-Section-501%28c%29%283%29-Tax-Exempt-Organizations

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.

Certain activities or expenditures may not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For example, certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner.

On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.

[mdbl]

9. Heh

The IRS is finally doing it's job. I guess the right wing crap they like to spout at their meetings is overridden by their greed. They might have to pay some penalties so let's just dissolve it. What a noble organization.

[brush]

15. That's why they're dissolving. The IRS is on their ass.

[tanyev]

12. The executive director of the most boring collection of celebrities is actually named Boreing?

[AxionExcel]

13. Could they be going underground? Oh noes.

It's a well-established right-wing Rupube* strategy to operate in the dark, so no one can easily see what skeezy, skanky, sleazy toe-tapping crapola they are perpetrating. Could this be just more of the same, an effort for faded Hollywood stars to hide their hateful thoughts, words and deeds in the dark, damp, fetid bowels of TinselTown?



* "conservative" is such an Orwellian bullshit word disguising who the radical right-wing Repubes really are and what they are really doing.

[Sunlei]

14. rove, bachman, a supreme court justice, ryan, herman cain all of them in the same tax free charity.

The orange man too.

[marble falls]

16. They're pulling down the tent because they've been too successful. Ri-i-i-g-h-t.

[SwankyXomb]

17. Well of course Friends of Abe is closing down

Abe Vigoda has finally passed.

[itcfish]

18. Abe Vigoda

was a right winger?? Wow

[SwankyXomb]

19. I don't know if he was or not

but it seemed like an obvious joke.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

21. That was my first thought too.

[packman]

20. Yah, those patriotic American shits

were scared that the IRS would somehow get their money - so the rats got out of the sinking ship. Rove, Cain and those like them would NEVER abandon ANY organization that provided them with a few extra dollars, but just the hint of them being involved in a tax-scam and perhaps be liable , that's scary to them.