“Al Sharpton owes almost a million from 2004? I’m shocked, he seems like such a straight shooter.” . . . said nobody.
Via Washington Examiner:
An explosive new report about “deadbeat politicos” revealed Friday that civil rights activist and MSNBC celebrity the Rev. Al Sharpton owes the federal government tens of thousands of dollars in fines and $880,000 in debt from his ill-fated 2004 presidential campaign.
And that’s on top of the $4.5 million Sharpton owes in back taxes.
In a report that revealed long-term unpaid debts by notable presidential candidates including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain, the Center for Public Integrity also found that most political debtors aren’t really on the hook to pay their bills because of the way the campaign finance system works.
In focus at the top of the report titled “Deadbeat politicos outrun federal enforcers,” was Sharpton, who the Center noted uses his show, “PolticsNation,” as “a de facto soapbox for his liberal political views,” including defending the IRS against Tea Party criticism.
It found that Sharpton still owes the Treasury $19,500, “after being caught accepting illegal campaign contributions, according to federal records. It also owes the Federal Election Commission several thousand dollars in unpaid fines, even after paying off a separate $208,000 penalty in 2009 for several campaign violations.