CNN news 2011-12-31 加文本

cnn news 2011-12-31

SYLVESTER (voice-over): The Campaign for Liberty advocates a cut in government spending, shutting down the IRS, and the non- interventionist foreign policy. Sound familiar ? It mirrors the platform of Ron Paul, who is now the GOP frontrunner in Iowa.

Paul founded the Campaign for Liberty in 2008. Since then, the noNPRofit has been hard at work drumming up ground support for Paul's ideas in the Hawkeye State. It's also what the IRS calls a 501c4 support group, which is tax exempt and able to raise unlimited amount of donations. They are supposed to be involved in, quote, "social welfare."

KENNETH GROSS, CAMPAIGN FINANCE ATTORNEY: That term has been stretched in the political world. I mean basically we're talking about political entities. Now they can't be primarily partisan but the part that's partisan is very partisan.

SYLVESTER: Political noNPRofits have been around for a while, advocating issues, examples, the NRA and the Sierra Club. But a new crop of 501c4s promotes the ideas of candidates. Priorities USA touts the policies of President Obama, Crossroads GPS was started by former President Bush advisor Karl Rove. Its goal, whipping Democrats with ads like this one, targeting Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That critical 60th vote, Ben Nelson.

SYLVESTER: Here's the key, noNPRofits, unlike political action committees, don't have to disclose their donor lists. Democracy 21, a nonpartisan open government watchdog group, has written letters to the IRS arguing for noNPRofits, Crossroads GPS, the American Action Network, Americans Elect and Priorities USA, should have their status revoked.

FRED WERTHEIMER, DEMOCRACY 21: A number of these organizations are claiming tax exempt status and they are ripping off the tax code for the purpose of raising secret money and spending it in our elections.

SYLVESTER: We contacted the groups. They all say they follow the law. Priorities USA saying, quote, "Our organization operates in compliance with all federal rules and regulations enforced by the IRS." A spokesman for Crossroads GPS dismissing Democracy 21's complaint saying, "It wants the IRS to overturn 200 years of worth of campaign finance laws and precedence, and no one is listening."

But Fred Wertheimer with Democracy 21 says political noNPRofits are a slippery slope.

WERTHEIMER: We're having secret money, unlimited money, being raised and spent in federal elections. Secret money, unlimited money is the most dangerous kind of money in our politics. It has led to corruption and scandals before and it will do so again.

SYLVESTER: These noNPRofit groups can be very influential. Crossroads GPS, the Karl Rove group, it announced that it was spending $500,000 in ads in Senator Ben Nelson's home state to convince him not to run for re-election. And we don't know if there's a cause and effect here, but today Nelson announced his retirement