Eye On Boise

‘Fishy’ or ‘just flat wrong’?

Posted by Betsy

Dec. 17, 2009 4:35 p.m. • 8 comments

The Idaho Republican Party put out a press release today headed “Allred deceives public,” saying that when it tried to file an IRS complaint against The Common Interest over founder Keith Allred’s email to members informing them he was running for governor, it could find no evidence that The Common Interest had ever obtained IRS nonprofit status in the first place. Jonathan Parker, executive director of the party, said he was trying to find record of “The Common Interest” as a 501c3.

However, The Common Interest Incorporated has had its 501c3 nonprofit status since February, and its other entity, The Common Interest In Action, has had 501c4 nonprofit status since 2004. The c4 status permits some campaign activity. “They’re just flat wrong,” Keith Allred told Eye on Boise. “I don’t speak officially for The Common Interest any more, but as past president I can confirm that the Republican Party is flat wrong. We received our determination letter for The Common Interest Incorporated last winter.”

Parker, who said he’s spent more time than he’d like researching The Common Interest, including reading its state incorporation papers and spending 45 minutes on the phone with someone from the IRS, said, “If that is the case, then I’m back to square one, which is that I believe he violated IRS code, and the Idaho Republican Party will be officially filing a complaint.” Click below to read the full Idaho GOP press release. Parker also noted that he’d learned that Allred had registered his campaign Web site address on Dec. 6th, four days before he filed for office. Between that and questions over nonprofit status, Parker said, “It just seems fishy.”

FOR RELEASE: CONTACT: JONATHAN PARKER

December 17, 2009

ALLRED DECEIVES PUBLIC

Boise, ID – Earlier today, the Idaho Republican Party attempted to file a complaint with the IRS in response to campaign related correspondence in which Executive Director Keith Allred announced that he is running for a Governor as a Democrat. However, during the process the Idaho Republican Party discovered that Keith Allred and The Common Interest have never filed with the IRS as a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization despite holding themselves out to be.

“I personally find it disturbing that Keith Allred was engaging in misleading advertising about the status of The Common Interest,” stated Executive Director Jonathan Parker. Parker continued, “Everything in their materials alluded to their non-profit status; these tactics have been deceptive at best.”

####

Paid for by the Idaho Republican Party · 208-343-6405 · www.idgop.org

Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee

Eight comments on this post so far. Add yours!

JamesBond on December 17 at 5:01 p.m.
Flat fishy!
homedog on December 17 at 7:39 p.m.
Hey big R, you’re looking a little desperate here. Would have been better to file the complaint, sit quietly and then leak it after you received a determination.
slfisher on December 17 at 8:30 p.m.
I agree with homedog.
danofthecommunity on December 18 at 7:11 a.m.
Oh boy, and you really have to watch out for those flat fishies!
ericn1300 on December 18 at 8:49 a.m.
I don’t agree homedog, Just tossing out lies and misinformation has always worked in politics. Once the misinformation is out there it’s awfully hard to correct. Even if the R’s are proven wrong, they put Allred on the defensive.
palousian on December 18 at 9:24 a.m.
or make themselves look either desperate or stupid. Or both.
Sisyphus on December 18 at 11:49 a.m.
Oh Eric, really? They look like juveniles, unprofessional or both. Not only that they look petty and vindictive against a guy about whom they previously had nothing but good to say. If that status was so crucial now, it was equally crucial when he was making successful pitches to them.

No doubt they got marching orders to go after Allred as soon as he announced since the Governor doesn’t want his hands dirty. But this little exchange makes the party apparatchik look like its being run by a bunch of frat boys. Probably because it is.
fortboise on December 19 at 3:36 p.m.
Somebody needs to tell Parker that when you’re in a hole, stop digging.

Parker’s got absolutely nothing, and he wants to give Allred publicity while he displays his own ignorance? Pathetic.