Two South Dakota nonprofit organizations targeted by a liberal special-interest group have been cleared of charges they violated their tax-exempt status.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the IRS in which it accused the National Abstinence Clearinghouse and Alpha Center – a pregnancy-resource center – of violating tax laws.
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), which represented both groups, said Monday the IRS found no basis for the complaint. Both groups will retain their tax-exempt status.
Gary McCaleb, senior counsel for ADF, called the challenge by CREW another blatant attempt to silence the pro-life, pro-abstinence viewpoint.
"Groups like CREW apparently will try anything to shut down nonprofit organizations," he said in a statement. "The National Abstinence Clearinghouse and Alpha Center are helping young people make good decisions in the midst of a culture war that generates confusion. "It takes a very vindictive attitude to try to shut down these organizations, which build up and strengthen individuals, the community and the nation."
