There has been no main stream media coverage of this issue but over 13 years before his 2010 letter to IRS officials urging the IRS agency to target conservative groups, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin’s political career crossed paths with Lois Lerner while she was head of the Enforcement Division of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and directly involved in the 1996 Illinois U.S. Senate race between Senator Dick Durbin, and conservative Republican State Rep. Al Salvi.
Soon after the Lois Lerner IRS story broke, Al Salvi told Illinois Review that it was IRS official Lois Lerner who represented the FEC in the 1996 Democrat complaint against him. According to Salvi, Lerner was, without question, politically motivated, and went so far as to make him an offer: “Promise me you will never run for office again, and we’ll drop this case.” Salvi refused the offer knowing he had done nothing wrong and to leave the door open for future campaigns.
In 2000 the charges against Salvi were dismissed for the last of three times. The charges were as follows:
- Reported bank loans to Mr. Salvi as personal loans from the candidate, never identifying the source of the funds;
- Failed to report debts to the candidate;
- Failed to file 48-hour notices for personal advances from the candidate; and
- Failed to disclose campaign-related payments by the candidate to vendors and a bank.
All minor offenses at best even if they were accurate which they were not. The FBI was brought in to investigate which he questioned Salvi’s elderly mother about where she would get $2,000 to give to his campaign among other things. Salvi told the Illinois Review he felt it was an act of intimidation. His momentum was halted in it’s tracks as the daily news headlines were dominated with the FEC charges and painting him in a negative light mere days before the election.
When the Citizen’s United case was decided, Sen. Durbin wrote to then IRS Chairman Schulman questioning the tax status of Crossroads GPS the Karl Rove backed Super PAC after it announced with would be running ads Democrats hoping to keep the seat left vacant by Barack Obamma.
“I write to urge the Internal Revenue Service to examine the purpose and primary activities of several 501(c)(4) organizations that appear to be in violation of the law.
One organization whose activities appear to be inconsistent with its tax status is Crossroads GPS, organized as a (c)(4) entity in June. The group has spent nearly $20 million on television advertising specific to Senate campaigns this year. If this political activity is indeed the primary activity of the organization, it raises serious questions about the organization’s compliance with the Internal Revenue Code.” the letter from Sen. Durbin read.
That is what eventually lead to Lois Lerner and the Tea Party Scandal. Chicago Politics appear to have struck again
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