CBS News reports that a Senate panel is set to investigate several prominent televangelists for “financial impropriety”:
CBS News has learned Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is investigating six prominent televangelist ministries for possible financial misconduct.
Letters were sent Monday to the ministries demanding that financial statements and records be turned over to the committee by December 6th.
According to Grassley’s office, the Iowa Republican is trying to determine whether or not these ministries are improperly using their tax-exempt status as churches to shield lavish lifestyles.
The six ministries identified as being under investigation by the committee are led by: Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn. Three of the six - Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar - also sit on the Board of Regents for the Oral Roberts University.
If there truly are crimes being committed here, then Congress should be involved at all. That’s what the FBI, the IRS, and the Treasury Department are for. Investigations like this are usually nothing more than an excuse for political grandstanding by politicians — which isn’t any better than the phony piety that comes from the mouths of the people that Grassley is targeting.
H/T: James Joyner
November 7th, 2007 at 8:53 am
It wouldn’t be a crime; it’d be a civil violation (although I don’t think many people would be surprised if there criminal activities, as well).
Grassley’s activities are legit for two reasons: first, it’s legitimate congressional oversight. The IRS is famously lax on exempt organizations, and Grassley’s oversight has been correspondingly diligent. Second, the problems being investigated would best be fixed by tweaking the code and/or regs (such as the last target of Grassley’s committee, “non-profit” hospitals that forget to give much charity care but manage to pay multi-million dollar salaries to their executive directors).
November 7th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
The politicians and the televangelists desrve each other. It should be an entertaining circus. I comment more on this from the nonprofit perspective at http://nonprofitcfo.wordpress.com/
January 5th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I am so happy that Sen. Charles Grassley is investigating all those ministers. I knew that they were scamming people of their money and I hope that Sen. Grassley find out what they have been doing and put them behind bars.
January 5th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I honestly dont care about this situation thats going on, but I do think that all those ministers that are under investigation sould be off the air.