The Rev. Al Sharpton unleashed a formal assault on Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. today, accusing it of dredging up old tax debts for his civil rights organization in retaliation for holding his Reclaim the Dream rally the same day as Fox News TV host Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor event, which took place at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial nearly two weeks ago.
The New York Post, which, like Fox News, is owned by News Corp., reported on Tuesday that an April 2 audit of Sharpton’s National Action Network, headquartered in New York City, revealed that it is in financial disarray. NAN owed an estimated $1.3 million in city, state and federal taxes at the end of 2008, according to the Post.
But a letter dated Sept. 7 from the group’s accounting firm said the story did not accurately reflect or quote any written statement from the audit and that NAN has made significant improvements. The civil rights group has 38 chapters across the nation, including Los Angeles and Chicago. Sharpton told The Root he plans to open 15 more by the end of the year.
“This was a totally bogus attack from the people in that company based on the success of our ability to get tens of thousands of people out there against Glenn Beck,” Sharpton said in an exclusive interview with The Root. “They’re also trying to get those who contribute to NAN to worry that we are about to close. We’re not. We’re stronger than ever and our tax liabilities are close to being settled, with 95 percent of the debt already paid.”
“His claim is unworthy of a response,” the New York Post said today in response to Sharpton’s claim.
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