When Republican Senate hopeful Adam Laxalt was Nevada’s attorney general, he was responsible for enforcing the law. Now, a watchdog alleges that his nonprofit violated federal regulations governing charities, and is asking the IRS to revoke the group’s tax status.
On Tuesday, End Citizens United filed a complaint against Laxalt’s “dark money” group Americans for Public Trust, alleging that the organization broke the rules after running hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of—in the complaint’s words—“unsupported and misleading” political attack ads.
As a so-called “social welfare” charity organized under section 501(c)3 of the tax code, APT is “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.” Ironically, the spots cited in the complaint attempt to expose alleged corruption associated with Democratic politicians and liberal dark money.
In a statement, Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, called the ads the “height of hypocrisy.”
“APT exists for one reason and one reason alone: to help the Republican Party win elections. It’s the height of hypocrisy for this GOP group to launch false political attacks about corruption and unethical behavior, while inappropriately receiving tax benefits as a charitable nonprofit,” Muller said. “This organization is run by political operatives and Adam…
