Former Montana Governor and possible Democratic U.S. Senate contender Brian Schweitzer (D) is coming under fire after FOX Business reporter David Asman revealed on Monday that Schweitzer’s PAC may have funneled money to a shell 501(c)(4) non-profit that appears to be “just a political vehicle for Brian Schweitzer.”
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently stated that tax-exempt groups “must certify that political campaign intervention involves 40% or less of both their spending and time.” According to Asman, however,” as far as we can tell, all they do is hold cash of Brian Schweitzer.”
Asman says Schweitzer set up a PAC named the Council for Sustainable America. In March 2010, Schweitzer’s PAC made a $306,779 donation to a shadowy 501 (c)(4) group with a similar-sounding name called the American Sustainability Project. The group’s address is 1666 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 500, Washington, DC 20009, reported Asman. However, when his investigative team called and visited the location, individuals in the building said they had never heard of the group.
“This is what the president [Obama] was accusing conservatives of doing,” said Asman. “In 2010, he went on a tirade against these 501(c)(4)s and that, a lot of people say, led the IRS to investigate them more carefully, the Tea Party…That’s exactly what this organization appears to be doing.”
Asman says the director and president of the American Sustainability Project is listed as Constance Milstein, a co-founder of the Ogden CAP Properties real estate development company and the owner of the Jefferson Hotel in Washington. Milstein is a top Democratic fundraiser, having contributed at least $959,515 to Democratic candidates.
“It seems clear that this is just a political vehicle of Brian Schweitzer who wants to run for the U.S. Senate,” says Asman.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.