As I
reported last week, according to former Bush adviser
Doug Wead, a person attending televangelist and Grassley target
Kenneth Copeland's invitation-only ministers' conference last week reported that Copeland "reconvened" the group as a "private meeting" and raised some emergency campaign funds for
Mike Huckabee. IRS rules prevent tax-exempt organizations from using their resources to endorse or campaign for a candidate.Last week, Kenneth Copeland Ministries did not respond to
TAP's request for comment. This morning, the Trinity Foundation, a Dallas televangelist watchdog group, has
posted video clips of Copeland at the conference, in which which he describes a conversation he had with Huckabee last year about the Grassley investigation. Copeland says that "at the Lord's instruction," he had invited Huckabee to appear on his television program, which was taped before the Grassley investigation broke. Copeland then asked the
candidate ordained minister of the gospel whether he still wanted him to air the broadcasts. According to Copeland, Huckabee "hollered":
"Are you kidding me? Why should I stand with them and not stand with you? They've only got 11 percent approval rating." And then he said, "Kenneth Copeland, I will stand with you." He said, "You're trying to get prosperity to the people and they're trying to take it away from 'em." He said, "I will stand with you any time, anywhere, on any issue." That settled that right there. I said, "Yeah, that's my man! That's my man, right there."
In a second clip, Copeland says that he will not turn over information about donations to the ministry because it "belongs to God," adding that he won't even turn it over in response to a subpoena.
--Sarah Posner 
