Esteemed doctor and Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson emailed his supporters over the weekend and asked them to sign a petition for revoking the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) tax-exempt status.
The doctor mistakenly believes a non-profit can be punished for expressing a political viewpoint.
“The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a public press conference demanding that I withdraw from the presidential race,” Carson said in an email to supporters Saturday.
“Here’s the catch – CAIR is a tax-exempt nonprofit, and the IRS rules explicitly prohibit such groups from intervening in political campaigns on behalf of – or in opposition to – a candidate,” the email continues.
If this inapplicable rule were applied equally, there'd be nary a single right wing nonprofit remaining on the map. If it weren't, Ben Carson would need to explain why the First Amendment is reserved for Christian fundamentalist nonprofits who, by all accounts, engage in far more explicit and defamatory political machinations than CAIR.
Has CAIR ever accused a presidential candidate of being the anti-Christ?
CAIR lawyers and officials are far more informed than Doctor Carson.
“CAIR is not in violation of any IRS regulation in that we did not ‘participate in’ or ‘intervene in’ any political campaign. We, as mandated by our mission as a civil rights organization, merely expressed the opinion of our community that a candidate whose views violate Article VI of the Constitution is unfit for public office.”
CAIR has understandably expressed skepticism about Carson's belief in the First Amendment.