Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may have violated an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rule prohibiting nonprofits from engaging in political activity by endorsing Kamala Harris at a Baltimore library Thursday, Republican Maryland Rep. Andy Harris said in a Monday letter obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller.
Pelosi, visiting the Central Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore for a book tour Thursday, appeared to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for presidency.
“Kamala Harris should be elected president of the United States because she is the best person for the job,” Pelosi said during the appearance, according to a letter Harris wrote to the Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Harris cast the appearance, which was intended to be a press appearance to promote Pelosi’s new book “The Art Of Power,” as a Kamala Harris campaign stop.
“Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited the Pratt library for what was described as a book tour, but what ended up being a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris,” Harris wrote to Chairman Jason Smith.
Why is Nancy Pelosi campaigning for presidential candidates at a nonprofit organization such as the Pratt Free Library in Baltimore?
There is supposed to be an IRS regulation that prohibits nonprofit organizations from engaging in elections.
What is the Pratt Library’s tax…
— Rep. Andy Harris, MD (@RepAndyHarrisMD) August 11, 2024
Aside from appearing to endorse Harris, Pelosi also criticized former President Donald Trump.
“It was awful. There can be no denying that this was an insurrection incited by the president of the United States,” Pelosi said of the mob of Americans who broke into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. “The question is whether we will have a peaceful transfer of power the next time we have an election,” she said, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The Pratt Free Library is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. As a result of this status they are prohibited from engaging in political activity, according to the IRS. (RELATED: CNN Host Confronts Nancy Pelosi Over Her Role In Biden Dropping Out)
“Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the
prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes,” the IRS says on their website.
Pelosi even appeared to acknowledge her mistake at one point.
“I didn’t know we could talk politics,” she said, according to the Sun. “I think we’re talking civics here right now, right?”
Harris lambasted Pelosi and the library for seeming to violate the IRS rule.
“Endorsing and campaigning for presidential candidates at nonprofit organizations is prohibited
activity and as a public official and a nonprofit organization, both Nancy Pelosi and the Pratt Library
should know that,” Harris wrote.
“As a result of this campaign activity, I am requesting an update on the current tax-exempt status of
the Central Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland,” Harris concluded.
The Daily Caller has reached out to Pelosi’s office for comment.
READ THE LETTER HERE:
LtaSmith.08.12.24 by robmcgreevy44 on Scribd
