‘Fishy’ or ‘just flat wrong’?
The Idaho Republican Party put out a press release today headed "Allred deceives public," saying that when it tried to file an IRS complaint against The Common Interest over founder Keith Allred's email to members informing them he was running for governor, it could find no evidence that The Common Interest had ever obtained IRS nonprofit status in the first place. Jonathan Parker, executive director of the party, said he was trying to find record of "The Common Interest" as a 501c3.
However, The Common Interest Incorporated has had its 501c3 nonprofit status since February, and its other entity, The Common Interest In Action, has had 501c4 nonprofit status since 2004. The c4 status permits some campaign activity. "They're just flat wrong," Keith Allred told Eye on Boise. "I don't speak officially for The Common Interest any more, but as past president I can confirm that the Republican Party is flat wrong. We received our determination letter for The Common Interest Incorporated last winter."
Parker, who said he's spent more time than he'd like researching The Common Interest, including reading its state incorporation papers and spending 45 minutes on the phone with someone from the IRS, said, "If that is the case, then I'm back to square one, which is that I believe he violated IRS code, and the Idaho Republican Party will be officially filing a complaint." Click below to read the full Idaho GOP press release. Parker also noted that he'd learned that Allred had registered his campaign Web site address on Dec. 6th, four days before he filed for office. Between that and questions over nonprofit status, Parker said, "It just seems fishy."
FOR RELEASE:
December 17, 2009
ALLRED DECEIVES PUBLIC
Boise, ID – Earlier today, the Idaho Republican Party attempted to file a complaint with the IRS in response to campaign related correspondence in which Executive Director Keith Allred announced that he is running for a Governor as a Democrat. However, during the process the Idaho Republican Party discovered that Keith Allred and The Common Interest have never filed with the IRS as a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization despite holding themselves out to be.
“I personally find it disturbing that Keith Allred was engaging in misleading advertising about the status of The Common Interest,” stated Executive Director Jonathan Parker. Parker continued, “Everything in their materials alluded to their non-profit status; these tactics have been deceptive at best.”
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