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The Right Coast
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The Supreme Court donor ruling is a defeat for Kamala Harris | TheHill

By Thomas A. Smith

Many media pundits will reflexively view the recent Supreme Court decision to strike down the California rule mandating that nonprofit groups disclose their top donors as a victory for conservatives such as Charles Koch. While the Koch-associated group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) served as the lead plaintiff to challenge the law, this 6-3 ruling by the justices should also be viewed as a loss for Vice President Harris.

It was Harris, the former California attorney general, who first interpreted the state s regulations on charities to mandate that nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations report all gifts greater than $5,000 via the IRS Schedule B donor list.

Ostensibly, Harris was simply guarding against nonprofit lawbreaking, self-dealing or conflicts of interest. But her rule was the equivalent of asking everyone to send her their checking account statements, just in case someone was laundering money. As a law enforcement officer, she had the right to subpoena IRS records, but hers appeared to be a fishing expedition in search of so-called dark money, the allegedly nefarious influence-machine of the right.

via thehill.com