As for the Church of Scientology and its tax-exempt status, that’s a long, convoluted story that involves the church obtaining it in the late ’50s, losing it a decade later, then fighting for over two decades to get it back. After a 26-year bitter feud with the IRS, the organization secured their tax exemption, which has allowed the organization to acquire even more wealth and influence and shroud itself even further from public scrutiny.
“I told President Trump & his family we needed to revoke their tax exempt status. They couldn’t agree more.”
According to administration official Lynne Patton, President Trump believes the tax exempt status of the Church of Scientology should be revoked.
In a report that’s part attempted hit-piece on the Trump administration and part exposé on the sketchy tax dealings of Hollywood’s most influential cult, the Huffington Post details a back and forth between Patton, a “loyal family aide” and Department of Housing and Urban Development official, and “King of Queens” star Leah Remini, a former Scientologist who wants to see the infamously secretive organization brought to justice:
In an unsolicited Twitter message, Lynne Patton, who has worked for the Trump family since 2009, told actress Leah Remini of Trump’s position and said she would interface with the IRS directly to seek more information in an effort to initiate revocation. Remini sent HuffPost copies of Patton’s messages and has declined to comment further.
It’s not clear if Patton ever communicated with the IRS. But if Trump did express an opinion on the church and Patton did contact the IRS about it, as her message suggests, that would be a highly inappropriate level of interference with the IRS by the administration, one expert said.
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