Rev. Darrell Scott, a prominent Black Trump supporter, is using his charity to give away cash to Black people.
Scott is the CEO of the nonprofit The Urban Revitalization Coalition, and as Politico reported, he is promoting economic development by giving away between $300 and $500 to Black people.
However, the organization is registered as a nonprofit organization, so the giveaway might violate tax policies because " it does not appear to be vetting the recipients of its money for legitimate charitable need," according to Politico.
"Charities are required to spend their money on charitable and educational activities,” Marcus Owens, a former director of the Exempt Organizations Division at the Internal Revenue Service, said via Politico. “It's not immediately clear to me how simply giving money away to people at an event is a charitable act.”
Owens is currently doing private practice at the law firm Loeb & Loeb.
According to the newspaper, Scott said his organization requires those who receive more than $600 to fill out a W-9 form to comply with the law. However, Politico says he failed to answer follow-up questions regarding how his organization is structured to meet legal standards as a charity.
He also refused to give any names within his organization.
"I'd rather not,” Scott told Politico. “They prefer to remain anonymous."
Trump claimed on an episode of CNN's State of the Union that he has significant support with Black voters. He stated most Republican presidential candidates “usually get about 4% or 5%.”
In the 2016 presidential election, Trump managed to win 8% of Black voters, according to NYMag. From 1980 to 2004, most Republican candidates managed to receive between 8% and 12%.
The "4% or 5%" of Black voters might have something to do with the fact that President Barack Obama ran for office for his first and second terms between 2008 and 2012, according to The Annenberg Public Policy Center.
Scott is a regular in the West Wing as he praises the Trump administration for its criminal justice reform efforts. He helped sign into law the First Step Act, a program that reforms the federal prison system of the United States of America and seeks to reduce recidivism.
The first cash giveaway took place in December, and another was scheduled in Virginia for Martin Luther King Day before it was canceled due to a dispute with the college set to host the event.
The “Christmas Extravaganza” event in Cleveland last month included a $25,000 giveaway. Ja’Ron Smith, a deputy assistant to the president, also made an appearance at the event. Smith is among the highest-ranking Black officials in the White House.
In July 2017, the Urban Revitalization Coalition was registered in Delaware, according to public records.
