So, the Rev. Al Sharpton has sold the right to his life story for $531,000. That’s quite the paycheck. Who did decided to dump the money for that? Oh, it was just the National Action Network, which is Sharpton’s own nonprofit (via NY Post):
The National Action Network agreed to pay the activist preacher $531,000 for his “life story rights for a 10-year period,” according to the non-profit’s latest tax filing, which was obtained by The Post.
NAN can apparently turn around and sell those rights to Hollywood or other takers at a profit, but neither the reverend nor the charity would identify what producers are waiting for such Sharpton content.
The document does not indicate when Sharpton, who is president of NAN, gets the cash, which is above and beyond the $244,661 he already pulled down in compensation from the group in 2017.
Sharpton also wouldn’t say when the cash would come in.
[…]
Sharpton claimed the idea for the deal came from two NAN board members, whom he would not name.
[…]
The organization says a private donor put up the money to make the purchase, but did not name the donor.
Nonprofit experts said the transaction could be troubling because NAN — whose mission includes criminal justice reform and police accountability — was doing business with its president.
If NAN paid too much it could run afoul of IRS rules regarding excess benefits given to a nonprofit’s key officials, which might put its tax-exempt status in jeopardy, Marcus Owens, a former IRS official and a partner with the Loeb & Loeb law firm in Washington, DC.
Over at Hot Air, Jazz Shaw has some ideas for what the money might be used for: paying off Sharpton’s IRS debts:
What do you suppose the Good Reverend will be doing with all this cash? Might he be applying some of it toward the more than $700K in back taxes he still owes, both personally and for several of his failed startup companies? Al Sharpton, his daughter, and nearly everyone else associated with NAN seem to be perpetually delinquent on their taxes. There’s also the matter of $2.5 million in outstanding federal liens against him.
Pardon me for being excessively tough on this character, but I’ve been observing Sharpton’s antics since the 90s. There’s never been a time when he didn’t seem to be involved in one scam or another. NAN is largely a sham outfit that Sharpton has used to force “donations” from companies and other organizations under the threat of organizing protests against them if they didn’t cough up the cash.
He has also been one of the most prolific race-baiters and antisemites on the national stage. How he continues to merit the sort of respect paid to him by national media and far too many politicians is a mystery. And now, before exiting the scene of these various crimes, it certainly appears that he plans to drain NAN’s bank account for his own benefit as best he can.
Ouch.
Al Sharpton sells his life story rights for $531,000 — to his own charity. A story you're unlikely to see on MSNBC. Brazen behavior that would make even Hillary blush. https://t.co/1JN2KcFp2Z
— John Fund (@johnfund) December 1, 2018