In a new round of letters urging Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, Eddie Long, and Creflo Dollar to cooperate in Sen. Charles Grassley's (R-Iowa) probe into possible abuses of tax-exempt status by televangelists, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.), for the first time, joins Grassley in putting pressure on the televangelists to voluntarily cooperate with the investigation:
As senior members of the United States Senate and as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Finance, it is our duty under the Constitution to conduct oversight into matters related to legislation enacted by Congress. The purpose of oversight is to determine how well a particular agency of the executive branch is administering legislation enacted by Congress, if a particular law or section of the law is being administered in a manner consistent with the intent of Congress and what changes might be required to a law to improve and enhance it. Oversight through the committee system is an important way for Congress to determine if the laws of this country are sound and if they are administered according to the intent of Congress.
One of the roles of the Finance Committee under the Standing Rules of the Senate encompasses the exercise of oversight over the administration of the federal tax revenue system by the Internal Revenue Service to make sure that its rules and procedures meet the purpose and intent of the revenue code, including those rules applicable to non-profit organizations. In order to do this effectively, the Committee needs to understand clearly and specifically how non-profit organizations are structured and operate.
Baucus and Grassley express the hope that they will not have to resort to "compulsory process," i.e., a subpoena, and give the televangelists until the end of the month to respond.
Members of the National Religious Broadcasters have promised a battle royale over subpoenas.
--Sarah Posner
