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Religion & Law

: Religion Clause

IRS Opens Investigation of Obama Speech To United Church of Christ Meeting

By Howard Friedman

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The Internal Revenue Service has opened an investigation into Barack Obama's June 2007 speech (full text) to the United Church of Christ's General Synod. (See prior related posting.) In a news article posted online by the UCC yesterday, the Church said that it had taken "great care to ensure that Senator Obama's appearance before the 50th anniversary General Synod met appropriate legal and moral standards." The IRS letter to the Church (full text) said that, in addition to the speech, the IRS was concerned about reports that 40 Obama campaign volunteers were staffing tables outside the Hartford Convention Center where the General Synod was taking place. The Internal Revenue Code precludes tax-exempt non-profit organizations like the UCC from participating in candidates' political campaigns. Today's Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Obama, who is a long-time member of the United Church of Christ, was invited to address the General Synod before he announced his candidacy for President of the United States.

A number of people have expressed puzzlement at the IRS's move. Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said his organization did not file a complaint with the IRS over Obama's speech because it "saw no evidence of UCC officials seeking to appear to endorse his candidacy." Writing in the Washington Post, Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlewaite said: "There is true irony in the IRS investigating the UCC for the presentation of a speech that may go down in history as one of the most profound articulations of how we as Americans live into transcendent meaning and purpose through our free, democratic institutions." Also Blog from the Capital and Melissa Rogers both discuss the IRS's investigation of the UCC.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on February 27, 2008 (boomark / email).