Friday, June 21st, 2024
ARIZONA -– “Living ‘above the rules’ might as well be Lake’s campaign slogan” after reporting revealed Kari Lake’s Save Arizona Fund faces a complaint filed with the Internal Revenue Service. The complaint requests an investigation to determine whether Lake has improperly used the organization for her own private benefit, in violation of its tax-exempt status.
Arizona Republic [Opinion]: Maybe the IRS will find Kari Lake as taxing as we do
By: EJ Montini
June 21, 2024
Key Points:
- …The head of the Pinal County Democratic Party, Lisa Sanor, believes that Trump sycophant and U.S. Senate Candidate Kari Lake is also associated with a nonprofit that is skirting the rules.
- Sanor filed a complaint with the IRS saying that the Save Arizona Fund, closely associated with Lake, should lose its tax exempt status…
- Under the IRS rules, a 501(c)(4) operation like Save Arizona Fund “may engage in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office provided that such intervention does not constitute the organization’s primary activity.”
- That last part is where Sanor believes the fund goes off the rails, pointing out in her complaint that the fund isn’t about social welfare at all but “instead operates primarily for the private benefit of Kari Lake.”
- The complaint includes a number of examples.
- The Arizona Mirror first reported about Sanor’s complaint to the IRS. Neither Lake nor the fund responded to the Mirror’s request for comment.
- In a statement, Sanor said in part, “Kari Lake only cares about boosting herself — but she isn’t above the rules … .”
- It’s a nice thought.
- But living “above the rules” might as well be Lake’s campaign slogan. She tried to be above the rules when it came to how elections are determined. She tried to be above the rules when it came to how lawsuits are resolved. She keeps trying, and keeps losing.
- Lake will probably try to be above the rules when it comes to nonprofits as well. That’s why, whether the IRS takes action or not, she is undeniably … taxing.