Conservative Blogger
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Obama-linked nonprofit filed for new IRS status after accusation of meddling in Israeli election
The American nonprofit OneVoice Movement – under scrutiny by a U.S. Senate panel over possible links to a campaign to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – quietly filed paperwork that would allow it to engage in political activism after two leading Republican lawmakers questioned its use of government funds, FoxNews.com has learned.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., sent a letter Jan. 29 to Secretary of State John Kerry asking whether the group – as a recipient of almost $350,000 in recent grants from the Obama administration’s State Department – had violated its tax-exempt status when it began backing the virulently anti-Netanyahu Victory 15 campaign in Israel earlier that month.
Cruz also publicly asked whether Obama – who’s had a well-documented adversarial relationship with Netanyahu – had “launched a political campaign against” the Israeli leader in the run-up to the election which was held on Tuesday.
“What does it say about the President of the United States when he’s more concerned about undermining and attacking the prime minister of Israel than he is standing up to the mortal threat a nuclear Iran poses?”- Sen. Ted Cruz, (R-Texas)OneVoice, which until November was headed by a veteran diplomat from the Clinton administration, quickly bushed off claims from critics that its backing of V15 meant it was targeting Netanyahu. Such an effort would be illegal under its tax-exempt status, which falls under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Just five days after the public dispatch of the Cruz-Zeldin letter, a “corporation service company” registered a new funding entity in Delaware called PeaceWorks Action, Inc. under a section of the tax code that still governs nonprofits, but allows them to engage in a limited amount of political activity. Listed under section is 501(c)4 of the tax code, PeaceWorks Action, Inc. is now featured on the OneVoice Website as one of OneVoice’s funders, alongside PeaceWorks Foundation, whose name has long been present, and which holds 501(c)3 status like OneVoice itself.
Critics are likely to see the registration as tacit admission that it had indulged in political activity alongside V15, which itself has been advised by former Obama campaign aides, including his top field organizer, Jeremy Bird.
Speaking exclusively with FoxNews.com, Cruz expressed outrage over the mounting indications the Obama administration could be implicated in efforts to meddle in the Israeli election.
“This is manifesting itself right now in President Obama’s national field director helping run the campaign to defeat Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel in coordination with a nonprofit group that has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the American taxpayer,” he said.
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), believes the nonprofit campaigned against Netanyahu after taking US taxpayer-funded grants. (AP)
“What does it say about the President of the United States when he’s more concerned about undermining and attacking the prime minister of Israel than he is standing up to the mortal threat a nuclear Iran poses?”
Launched in 2002 by snack bar mogul Daniel Lubetzky, OneVoice says it works towards achieving a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and believes – in a reflection of Obama’s thinking, but counter to Netanyahu’s – that Israel’s 1967 borders should form a starting point for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Against this backdrop, the State Department awarded OneVoice the $350,000 in grant money in 2013, slotting more than $233,000 in staggered payments for OneVoice’s Israel branch, and earmarking the rest in staggered payments for OneVoice Palestine.
The State Department says the money for OneVoice Israel was to help pay for the group’s campaigning in support of talks between the Israelis and Palestinians following the attempt by Kerry to see the peace process restarted. But while those talks collapsed in April 2014, the State Department said in its response to the Cruz-Zeldin letter that its funding continued through Aug. 18 of that year.
This fact has raised additional concern, a senior Congressional aide within the Republican Party told FoxNews.com.
“No one is objecting to private American citizens participating in political activity,” said the aide, in reference to Obama’s former field director and others who are helping guide V15. “At issue here is the possibility taxpayer funds in the form of the State Department grants were used for overtly political activity, especially in the period when the ostensible purpose of the grant — to promote Secretary Kerry’s proposed solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue — no longer existed.”
Concerning the registering of OneVoice’s PeaceWorks Action, Inc. under a part of the tax code that permits limited political activity, the aide added: “The establishment of the 501(c)4 post-facto doesn’t really clear this issue up.”
The registering of PeaceWorks Action, Inc. is likely to be among activities a bipartisan probe by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will look at as it explores the wider issue of possible Obama-administration ties to the anti-Netanyahu campaign.
FoxNews.com, citing a source with knowledge of the panel’s activities, on Saturday revealed the existence of the probe.
The Senate subcommittee, which has subpoena power, is the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ chief investigative body with jurisdiction over all branches of government operations and compliance with laws.
It would also be expected to look into the State Department’s oversight of the grant monies slotted for OneVoice.
As a guest on Fox News Channel’s The Kelly File, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told show host Megyn Kelly last month that the grant money given to OneVoice Israel had been vetted, saying “there's reporting that is required to be done about every dollar and cent of money that's spent of US taxpayer dollars.”
However, the State Department’s response to the Cruz-Zeldin letter is not as emphatic about any post-grant review. “In accordance with standard practice, the department reviewed OneVoice Israel’s implementation plan and approved all proposed US Government-funded activities,” the letter, also dated in February, says.
The letter additionally mentions that a portion of the almost $116,000 slotted for OneVoice Palestine had yet to be dispatched.
“There is a remaining payment of approximately $10,000 to OneVoice’s Palestinian branch, which will not be delivered until a review of the final program report is complete and will only cover activities performed during the agreement period, September 2013 to November 2014,” the letter says.
Lawmaker calls for a rebellion against EPA pollution emissions for backyard barbecues
A Missouri state legislator wants the Environmental Protection Agency to back off of people’s backyard barbecues.
On Monday, State Senator Eric Schmitt (R) from St. Louis kicked off a #porksteakrebellion after he discovered the EPA is funding a study on propane grill emissions that suggest pit masters use a special tray to catch grease drippings and a "catalytic" filtration system to reduce air pollution, reports Fox News KTVI.
“The idea that the EPA wants to find their way into our back yards, where we’re congregating with our neighbors, having a good time, on the 4th of July, barbecuing pork steak or hamburgers, is ridiculous and it’s emblematic of agency that’s sort of out of control,” Schmitt said.
The EPA is funding a $15,000 University of California-Riverside study to look at the particulate emissions you breathe when grilling over an open flame. Along with the drip tray, the emission removal system includes the use of a “secondary air filtration system is composed of a single pipe duct system which contains a specialized metal filter, a metal fan blade, a drive shaft, and an accompanying power system with either a motorized or manual method,” according to study.
Those opposed to the study met Monday night at St. Louis’ LeGrand’s Market & Catering sandwiches shop after Schmitt launched the rebellion via Twitter.
“Personally, I think being able to barbecue in your back yard extends your life,” customer Pat Schommer told Fox. “It’s part of pleasure – backyard barbecuing and I love it.”
The EPA said that it doesn’t regulate people’s backyard barbecues and that the grant is part of the EPA's "National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2014)", which is a student-designed competition for sustainability.
Schmitt called on people to grill in their backyards this week as a sort of “peaceful protest”.
Republican Rep. Schock resigning amid ethics questions
Illinois Republican Rep. Aaron Schock abruptly announced his resignation on Tuesday, after facing questions for weeks concerning his lavish spending from government and campaign accounts.
In a statement that took congressional leaders by surprise, the congressman said he would resign, effective March 31, "with a heavy heart."
"Serving the people of the 18th District is the highest and greatest honor I have had in my life. I thank them for their faith in electing me and letting me represent their interests in Washington. ... But the constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction that has made it too difficult for me to serve the people of the 18th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself," he said.
Schock has faced mounting accusations of using taxpayer dollars for personal expenses and claiming questionable reimbursements.
He started facing scrutiny after it came to light that he had decorated his office in the theme of the PBS program "Downton Abbey." A public watchdog group later filed a federal ethics complaint against him for using congressional money to redesign that office -- and for billing taxpayers or his campaigns tens of thousands of dollars in private air travel on donor-owned planes.
On Monday, the Associated Press confirmed that the Office of Congressional Ethics had reached out to Schock's associates as it apparently began an investigation. The office is an outside panel that reviews ethics complaints against House members and makes recommendations to the House Ethics Committee.
Fox News is told by multiple sources that Schock did not notify Republican congressional leaders before making his announcement on Tuesday.
Speaker John Boehner said in a statement: "With this decision, Rep. Schock has put the best interests of his constituents and the House first. I appreciate Aaron's years of service, and I wish him well in the future."
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, also of Illinois, called the resignation a "surprise" and said it "reflects the gravity of his situation."
Details emerged Monday of another business deal between Schock and one of his political donors.
The Associated Press reported a shell company linked to Schock paid a political donor $750,000 last year for a warehouse in Peoria, then took out a $600,000 mortgage for the property from a local bank run by other donors, a combination of Illinois land records and private business documents shows.
The price of the deal falls within a range identified as reasonable by a bank-hired appraiser. But the transaction follows similar Schock real estate deals detailed by a recent Associated Press investigation into the Illinois Republican's business transactions involving political contributors over the past decade.
The 2014 warehouse deal, which occurred after the congressman's most recent financial report, adds to questions about Schock's pattern of reliance on campaign contributors. Political donors built, sold and financed a house owned by Schock in suburban Peoria. Donors also were involved in the sale and financing of a Peoria apartment complex in which Schock invests.
Schock has built much of his personal wealth over a decade of real estate investments with political donors, an AP review found. Schock, 33, who was named to a midlevel Republican leadership post in the House last year, has disclosed personal wealth in a range centered on $1.4 million. He's made his precocious business acumen a key part of his appeal since his election to Congress in 2009 and sometimes describes himself as a real estate developer. A media-savvy lawmaker, he also posed shirtless for Men's Health magazine to promote fitness.
In a separate report Monday, the website Buzzfeed reported that Schock spent more than $5,000 from his House account for a portable podium that looks a lot like a presidential podium used by President Obama.
Netanyahu poised for third straight term as Israel PM after chief rival concedes
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Netanyahu said that he had spoken with the heads of five other parties that he hoped to bring into his government, adding that he hopes to complete the delicate task in "two to three weeks."
"The reality isn't waiting on us," Netanyahu said in a statement. "Reality isn't taking a break. The citizens of Israel expect us to quickly put together a leadership that will work for the sake of the country's security, economy, and society as we promised to do, and that is what I will do."
Also Wednesday, Netanyahu's main rival, Isaac Herzog of the centrist Zionist Union confirmed that he had called the incumbent to congratulate him on his victory.
"I wished him luck, but let it be clear, the problems are the same problems, nothing has changed," said Herzog, who attempted to make economic and social issues the focus of the campaign in contrast to Netanyahu's focus on security. Herzog also vowed that his party would serve as "an alternative in every area" to Likud.
According to official results reported in Israeli media early Wednesday, Likud had won at least 29 seats in the 120-member Knesset, five more than Herzog's centrist Zionist Union. No other party had more than 14 seats, and a party or coalition must have at least 61 seats to form a government. A key bloc that could sew up Netanyahu's premiership is Kulanu, another centrist party lead by former government minister Moshe Kahlon that was projected to earn 10 seats in the latest figures.
Kahlon, whose campaign focused almost entirely on bread-and-butter economic issues, refused to take sides.
"I am loyal to my way," he told his supporters, saying he would work to form a government committed to social justice.
Likud significantly outperformed all the polls in the run-up to the election, all of which had predicted a second-place finish for the party behind the Zionist Union. Netanyahu claimed victory early Wednesday in a speech to cheering supporters at party headquarters in Tel Aviv.
"Against all the odds we obtained a great victory for the Likud," Netanyahu told the gathering. "Now we must form a strong and stable government that will ensure Israel's security and welfare," he added, in comments aimed at Kahlon.
At a rally of his supporters, Herzog had vowed to do his utmost to form a government and said he too had reached out to potential coalition partners. However, his effort to build a coalition was complicated by the possibility of having to rely on support from a new Arab alliance that was projected to capture 14 seats. But Arab parties have never sat in an Israeli coalition before.
Stav Shaffir, a leader of the Zionist Union, called the results a "clear vote of no confidence in Netanyahu."
Netanyahu had ruled out a "unity" government with the Zionist Union that would give him a broader coalition, and Herzog had also been cool to the idea without explicitly dismissing the prospect.
President Reuven Rivlin will now spend the next few days consulting with the various parties, whose leaders will all offer recommendations for who should be prime minister.
The final weeks of the campaign had become a referendum on Netanyahu, a towering figure in Israeli politics who has spent more time as Prime Minister than anyone except the country's founding father, David Ben-Gurion.
Netanyahu, who already has a testy relationship with President Barack Obama, took a sharp turn to the right in the final days of the campaign, staking out a series of hard-line positions that will put him at odds with the international community.
In his most dramatic policy reversal, he said he now opposes the creation of a Palestinian state — a key policy goal of the White House and the international community. He also promised to expand construction in Jewish areas of east Jerusalem, the section of the city claimed by the Palestinians as their capital.
Netanyahu infuriated the White House early this month when he delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress criticizing an emerging nuclear deal with Iran. The speech was arranged with Republican leaders and not coordinated with the White House ahead of time.
In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama was confident strong U.S.-Israeli ties would endure far beyond the election regardless of the victor.
The Palestinians, fed up after years of deadlock with Netanyahu, are now likely to press ahead with their attempts to bring war crimes charges against Israel in the International Criminal Court.
"What Netanyahu is doing and stating are war crimes and if the international community wants peace it should make Netanyahu accountable for his acts," said Palestinian official Saeb Erekat. He said the Palestinian leadership will meet Thursday to discuss its next steps.
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