Rep. Mike Kelly Calls on IRS to Audit Planned Parenthood

Rep. Mike Kelly Calls on IRS to Audit Planned Parenthood

(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

By John Gizzi   |   Friday, 24 Jul 2015 10:33 AM

http://www.newsmax.com/JohnGizzi/mike-kelly-irs-planned-parenthood-fetal-tissue/2015/07/24/id/658739/

What began as a congressional hearing into the IRS’ targeting of nonprofit groups for their political beliefs took an unexpected turn when Rep. Mike Kelly called on the IRS to audit Planned Parenthood.

In an exclusive interview following the hearing Thursday by the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee, the Pennsylvania Republican told Newsmax he was sending a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen demanding an audit of the group following allegations that it has been harvesting and selling body parts of aborted fetuses.

"Just as we are looking at the targeting of groups for audits that have been done, it’s important to look at audits that are not being done," said Kelly.

The Pennsylvanian said the idea of pursuing an IRS audit of Planned Parenthood came to him and his staff Wednesday evening before the hearings. In reading the group’s 990 Form of June 30, 2013, "We found they had revenues of $196,986,791. But when we looked a bit deeper, we found that a lot of where that money was going to was simply put under the general heading of 'fees for services.'"

The details of those fees have, in Kelly’s words, "been left open to the imagination."

Most significant, Kelly stressed, is that "if the reports are true that Planned Parenthood has engaged in and profited from the sale of fetal tissues and organs, then this is illegal activity and certainly not covered by the tax-exempt status this organization has under the U.S. Tax Code as a 501(c)(3)."

Under Section 501(c)(3), a tax-exempt organization must be operated exclusively "for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes" or "for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals."

In his letter to Koskinen, Kelly officially asked whether the IRS audited Planned Parenthood within the last five years for any activity in violation of state and federal public policy "specifically involving the sale of fetal tissue and organs."

If no such audit has been done, he wrote, "then I urge the IRS to begin an audit of the organization as soon as possible."

Kelly told us that House Speaker John Boehner has urged colleagues to "make sure we get the facts" about Planned Parenthood, and Ways and Means Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam, R-Ill., is "supportive" of the course he is pursuing.

Asked about the unfolding controversy regarding Planned Parenthood, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said July 17: "It is my understanding that Planned Parenthood has followed the highest ethical guidelines."

Planned Parenthood

Glover Park Group is the lobby firm for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and was the lobby firm for the AES Corporation.

Note: Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Philip A. Odeen is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a chairman for the AES Corporation.

Philip Lader is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a director at the AES Corporation.

Charles O. Rossotti is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), a chairman for the AES Corporation, and was a commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

John A. Koskinen was a director at the AES Corporation, and is the commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).