Today, Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), filed a whistleblower complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against James Bopp, Jr., the Bopp Law Firm, and the James Madison Center for Free Speech (JMCFS).
The complaint alleges Mr. Bopp and JMCFS, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, misrepresented their activities to divert virtually all of JMCFS’s money into the Bopp Law Firm for Mr. Bopp’s personal enrichment. Additionally, CREW asked the Indiana Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, the Indiana Secretary of State, and the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to investigate.
I have been quite critical of earlier attempts to go after Jim Bopp personally for activity which campaign reform groups don’t like. We’ll see if there’s anything more substantial to these new allegations. (For background on the controversy, see this Slate piece–not by me.)
UPDATE: Peter Overby tweets: “Cmpn fin rumble! @CREWcrew holds tele-conf to accuse Jim Bopp (Cits United) of violating 501c law. Bopp crashes call & attacks CREW.”