The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust filed a complaint with the IRS against an organization associated with Abrams.
By Tim Darnell, Patch Staff
WASHINGTON, DC — A non-partisan ethics watchdog group has filed a complaint with the IRS over Georgia Stacey Democrat Stacey Abrams’ political organization. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed a complaint last week against Fair Fight Action, Inc., for funding Abrams’ current political activities in an alleged violation of federal law.
Founded in 2014, Fair Fight Action Inc. is registered as a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization that served as Abrams’ primary political arm, according to the group. After Abrams narrowly lost Georgia’s nationally watched governor’s race last fall, Fair Fight Action assumed the Abrams campaign’s legal challenges to Georgia’s electoral process and filed a federal lawsuit.
In a November campaign speech, Abrams signaled that Fair Fight Action would continue to serve as the primary vehicle to promote her political agenda where she would “channel” her work. Since that time, FACT said “the organization has blatantly demonstrated through its leadership, purpose and activities that its primary mission is to advance Abrams’ political career.”
FACT said Fair Fight Action has engaged in overtly political activities to promote Abrams, including:
- Accepting donations from a “Stacey Abrams Fundraiser”;
- Bankrolling Abrams’ statewide speaking tour where she told audiences: “I am running for office again.”;
- Hosted two dozen watch parties, some in early presidential primary voting states, for supporters to “cheer Abrams on” as she delivered the Democrats’ response to President Trump’s State of the Union address;
- Buying social media ads alleging now-Gov. Brian Kemp “robbed” Abrams of election victory and others simply promoting Abrams;
- Buying commercial airtime during Super Bowl LII in Atlanta to showcase Abrams to Georgia voters.
FACT’s complaint maintains that “by providing support for an individual’s personal political activities, Fair Fight Action is in violation of the requirement that a social welfare organization serve general community purposes rather than provide a private benefit to an individual or political group. The IRS has previously determined that an organization that serves to promote a single individual and that individual’s ‘agenda and platforms’ does not qualify for Section 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status.”
