O'Donnell wants IRS to punish watchdog

WASHINGTON -- Christine O'Donnell wants the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the tax-exempt status of the watchdog group that accused her of improperly using funds from her failed Senate campaign for living expenses.
During a Wednesday conference call with reporters, O'Donnell accused Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington of knowingly filing false claims against her, damaging her reputation, and racially discriminating against black members of Congress. She likened her treatment by CREW and its executive director, Melanie Sloan, to someone filing a false rape charge against President Barack Obama because she didn't like him.
She is also seeking a criminal investigation of the group by the U.S. Attorney's Office and Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden's office.
"They've already done whatever they can to me," O'Donnell said of CREW. "They've already had the FBI investigate me. I've been cleared by the U.S. Attorney's Office. So I'm fighting back because while I'm certainly not the first person CREW has come after, I would like to be the last."
U.S. Attorney Charles Oberly closed his investigation into O'Donnell this month and said his office would refer the matter to the Federal Election Commission, which has been investigating a similar complaint by CREW.
Anne Weismann, CREW's chief counsel, told CNN that O'Donnell's accusations are "without merit."
"It's no coincidence she is doing this at the same time she is pushing her new book (www.Troublemakerbook.com)," Weismann told CNN.
The IRS says it is prohibited by law from commenting on any taxpayer situation and would not comment on O'Donnell's complaint.
O'Donnell's IRS complaint alleges that CREW violates its tax-exempt status by intervening in political campaigns, engaging in partisan activities against Republicans and black Democrats, and spending money to benefit the Democratic National Committee.
O'Donnell's lawyer, Cleta Mitchell, said more than 80 percent of officials "targeted" by CREW for criticism over the last several election cycles were Republicans. Of the Democrats criticized, 60 percent are black, she said.
"CREW rarely attacks Democrats, but when it does attack Democrats, there is simply an unacceptable ratio of attacking African-American Democrats," Mitchell said.
O'Donnell confirmed she is using her political action committee, Christine PAC, to advance her complaints. She said she formed the PAC to stop abuse of the justice and political systems. But she said she does not have a political agenda and she isn't thinking about another run for office.
"Sloan and CREW ignored the laws and checks and balances that we have in place to ram down the throats of the voters in Delaware their political agenda and to malign my character for purely political motives," she said. "It's almost like we can't even think about any future fair elections until we correct this process right now."
Staff reporter Chad Livengood contributed to this story.
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