Clinton friend leads Million Mom March: Is organization violating federal nonprofit regulations?

The organizer of the Million Mom March scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., this Sunday, Mother's Day, is the sister-in-law of first lady Hillary Clinton's closest friend and political advisor and has served as publicist for CBS News anchor Dan Rather.

As reported by columnist Tony Blankley in yesterday's Washington Times, virtually all major media coverage of march organizer Donna Dees-Thomasas has failed to disclose that she is the sister-in-law of Susan Thomasas, Mrs. Clinton's chief political advisor and close friend.

"To deny the readers (and viewers) such necessary -- and available -- information is to breach ... the moral act of communication," Blankley wrote.

...Meanwhile, some critics of the march have questioned the organization's claim to a tax-free 501 (c)(3) status, saying that the march's primary activity "consists of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation," a no-no according to the Internal Revenue Service code governing the activities of non-profit charitable organizations.

..."Section 501(c)(3) of the code says a charity may 'not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office,'" Kramer wrote.

Critics of the Million Mom March organization say that the group is not only spending a "substantial" portion of its activities on prohibited lobbying efforts, but a statement published on its website, they say, may also be in direct violation of the rules prohibiting electioneering.

Old news but, in light of the recent allegations about Queen Hillary I's "creative fundraising" activities (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/6/20/82937.shtml), this is worth reviving. The key point is that Hillary Clinton was very closely involved with an organization that, per very credible allegations and information from its own Web sites, was raising 501(c)(3) tax exempt money to support Al Gore's Presidential campaign while providing photo-ops for her own Senate campaign. The operative term is,

"Clinton's Creative Campaign Financing."

The Newsmax article says,

The Federal Elections Commission already ruled that Clinton's 2000 campaign committee underreported cash it received at the fundraising event Paul sponsored. The FEC slapped the campaign committee with a $35,000 fine.

It is therefore on record that the Hillary Clinton campaign has already engaged in some shady and underhanded fundraising activities. Now that this latest shoe is dropping, it is time to bring up the "Clinton Creative Campaign Fundraising" issue with regard to the Million Mom March in 2000. How closely was Hillary Clinton involved with the diversion of 501(c)(3) tax exempt money into a thinly-disguised campaign rally for Al Gore on Mother's Day in 2000?

Did the Million Mom March lie to its donors?

This is what the Million Mom March told its prospective donors. The link no longer works because the organization liquidated in 2001, after filing a very interesting Form 990 tax return in which it said it did not try to influence legislation.

MILLION MOM MARCH MOTHERS' DAY 2000 is dedicated to the mission of educating our children and our country about the life-threatening danger of guns. …
Enlistment of Help from Corporate America We call on all child-friendly, nonviolent stores, companies, and corporations to sponsor us in these pursuits by advertising our message that guns -- in the wrong hands - is simply unacceptable. We call on the like minded to work with community law enforcement agencies to offer swaps of meaningful goods and services for guns. And that the guns be destroyed by the proper authorities. In turn, we, the mothers, will patronize all child-friendly, nonviolent sponsors who join us in this mission.

However, this is what Hillary's friends did after they collected the money.

March Organizer Will Covert Tax-Exempt Group to Overt Political Action Committee
5/13/00 By Justin Torres, CNS Senior Staff Writer
Million Mom March organizer Donna Dees-Thomases indicated Friday that her group would transform itself into an overt political organization after Sunday's rally, endorsing candidates and campaigning against pro-Second Amendment incumbents.

The Million Mom March continued to solicit 501(c)(3) donations after announcing that it was going to become a political action committee

March Organizer Will Covert Tax-Exempt Group to Overt Political Action Committee 5/13/00
By Justin Torres, CNS Senior Staff Writer Million Mom March organizer Donna Dees-Thomases indicated Friday that her group would transform itself into an overt political organization after Sunday's rally, endorsing candidates and campaigning against pro-Second Amendment incumbents.
As of today (5/15/2000), the Million Mom March's Web site http://www.millionmommarch.com/todo.html says, Become a member of the Million Mom March The easiest way to join us is by registering on our website. The cost of membership is a non-tax deductible contribution. No donation is too small, each is greatly appreciated and will go a long way to help us create a national movement for sensible gun laws. These contributions will help maintain our website and get the word out to communities across the country.

Evangelical Lutheran Church of America accuses the Million Mom March of concealing material facts

Lutheran Church Not Informed of Gun Control March Politics By Scott Hogenson CNS Executive Editor 16 May, 2000
(CNSNews.com) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is distancing itself from the so-called 'Million Mom March' because of the gun control group's stated intention of supporting political candidates.
…Church officials also said they were not aware that MMM organizers planned to become politically active regarding candidates for office, and would have preferred knowing the organization's plans before the event.

As shown here, complaints were in fact filed with consumer protection agencies and the IRS. http://www.stentorian.com/2ndamend/complnts.html
Meanwhile, this is what the Million Moms told the Internal Revenue Service about its activities in 2000, when it was aggressively lobbying for "common sense gun laws"

Res Ipsa Loquitur, the thing speaks for itself
In light of the recent allegations about (Hillary) Clinton's Creative Campaign financing, we need to trot out the Million Mom March scandal to reinforce it.
Downloadable Million Mom March scandal fact sheet http://www.stentorian.com/2ndamend/mmm/mmm.doc

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