By Ahmad Dagher
WASHINGTON, D.C.––A group of Republican Senators, led by Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, have asked for an investigation into various nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that are supporting pro-Palestinian campus protests for universities across the US.
This request, in the form of a letter directed towards Daniel Wefel, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner, accused these organizations of engaging “in conduct warranting revocation of their tax-exempt statuses.” The senators argued for this because of the organizations’ allegiance and financial support of the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) group.
The senators argued that one of these non-profits, the AJP Educational Foundation, was already being probed and that the rest should follow.
Led by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, the group was investigated on account of their violations of the state’s charitable solicitation laws as well as for possibly “providing support to terrorist organizations.”
In addition, the senators noted that the IRS has, in the past, stripped NPOs of their status as tax-free if they have “planned activities that violate laws,” or act in a way that might “induce the commission of a crime.”
And they argued that this case was no different: “We should not need to remind you of the heinous support NSJP chapters across the country have voiced for Hamas, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).”
Recently, support for NSJP has skyrocketed, with protests on college campuses occurring across the nation. Over 400 campuses have had protests over the conflict in Gaza, demanding for universities to divest from Israeli companies and from those who supply Israel with arms.
The senators clearly took issue with this support, arguing that the actions of supporting NSJP constituted “abhorrent support for an FTO.”
“…we call on you to initiate an investigation to determine whether financial supporters of NSJP, including but not limited to AJP…have engaged in conduct warranting their tax-exempt status to be stripped,” they wrote as they ended the letter.
The letter is signed by Ernst, along with Republican Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Mitt Romney, Lindsey Graham, and Marsha Blackburn, and 11 others.
Their hope is to get a response by the 23rd.
