Democrat Senator Tried to Pressure Government Agencies Into Targeting Conservative Groups

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) speaks during a hearing in Washington on Aug. 5, 2020. Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) tried to use federal agencies like the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service to act against groups propagating conservative programs, according to documents (pdf) obtained by the watchdog American Accountability Foundation.

In a letter sent to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig on Jan. 19, 2021, Whitehouse asked for revoking the tax-exempt status of conservative organization Turning Point USA as the entity held an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club without observing social distancing and masking rules, according to The Daily Signal which received the documents.

“Tax-exempt status provides a substantial benefit to charitable organizations and reflects the federal government’s endorsement of an organization’s activities,” Whitehouse wrote to the IRS chief.

“Organizations that knowingly put in danger minors entrusted to their care should not enjoy the benefits of tax-exempt status. Accordingly, I urge the IRS to review whether it should revoke Turning Point USA’s tax-exempt status.” The entity’s stated mission is to develop young Americans into conservative leaders.

In a response to Whitehouse on Mar. 28, 2021, Rettig said that he wouldn’t reveal whether the IRS was investigating or acting against Turning Point USA, citing the protection of privacy of tax returns.

In another letter dated May 5, 2022, the Rhode Island Democrat complained to Rettig, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen about nonprofits engaging in political activity and reporting it to the Federal Election Commission, but denying such activity with the IRS.

He cited a 2012 report by left-leaning ProPublica and a 2022 report by the liberal group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington to back up his claim.

Speaking to The Daily Signal, Tom Jones, president and founder of the American Accountability Foundation, said that Whitehouse is taking a “spaghetti to the wall approach” by going after conservative groups and seeing what sticks. “It’s simply wrong, an abuse of his position,” he said.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Sen. Whitehouse.

Targeting Other Organizations

Whitehouse had recently revealed that he intends to target the Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) for allegedly violating IRS regulations. In a tweet on Nov. 29, he called the CPI a “dark money hub for MAGA Republicans” and that it acted as a “cushy landing pad” for Trump’s associates.

The CPI is also registered as a tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) charitable entity due to which it “absolutely can’t engage” in any kind of political campaign intervention, he insisted.

In a letter to the CPI, he claimed that the organization selectively offers its services and facilities to Republican candidates and political committees. He called the CPI a “full-service shop for pro-Trump Republicans.”

The GOP has been raising its voice against granting excessive powers and resources to the IRS. Back in August, Democrats passed a spending bill that included the hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents.

Last month, House Republican conference chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) told Breitbart that a Republican-majority Congress would repeal the “army” of new IRS agents and called the move a “government overreach at its worst.”