As Jesse Jackson fades from the public limelight, the mostly white, liberal media has chosen Alfred Sharpton to be the lone, leading spokesperson for the Black community in America.
“Reverend Al,” as he’s been affectionately addressed by scores of mostly white media interviewers for years, is a man they created, and now pay.
Phil Griffin is Alfred Sharpton’s boss at MSNBC where Griffin is CEO.
Griffin is not a member of the Black community, but he selected Alfred to be its leading spokesperson by giving “Reverend Al” a high-profile soapbox from which to promote himself, plus a reported $500,000 a year.
Some of Alfred “Reverend Al” Sharpton’s money comes from his “Christian Activist Organization” – the National Action Network, Inc. (NAN) headquartered at 106 West 145 St., NY, NY. The door at the right is the entry. (pictured below)
A review of NAN’s IRS (to whom Alfred Sharpton owes back taxes in the neighborhood of $5,000,000) Form 990, entitled “Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax,” yields interesting results.
NAN’s 2012 gross receipts were $4,065,756 (compared to $4,249,307 in 2011 and $3,117,020 in 2010).
Total program service expenses in 2012 were $3,203,084.
Rev. Alfred Sharpton, President & CEO of NAN, is paid $241,402 – a modest salary for the national spokesperson for the Black community. But there are other benefits to the job.
In 2012, NAN paid $108,300 to CGK Partners, 1133 Broadway, NY, NY: “CGK Partners is a boutique consulting firm, focusing primarily on New York City and New York State politics.” In short, it’s a lobbying firm. Even a “Christian activist organization” needs lobbying services, from time to time.
In 2012, NAN paid $126,880 to Noerdilinger {sic} Media, Edgewater, NJ. Rachel Noerdlinger is now the Chief of Staff for First Lady Chirlane McCray at City of New York. (Someone at NAN misspelled Rachel’s last name on the 2012 Form 990, but no one reads those things anyway.) Ms. Noerdlinger helped sharpen Reverend Al’s public image. Rachel was Sharpton’s press secretary during his 2004 presidential campaign.
In 2012, NAN received $3,919, 927 in “contributions, gifts, [and] grants.” The IRS form does not require a listing of sources.
Programs expenses for 2012 included $441,074 for “occupancy” (rent), $203,253 for travel (Reverend Al shows up in a lot of places), and $756,957 for “Other salaries and wages” (to persons unidentified).
Then there were accounting services ($80K) and legal fees ($40K). Including other incidentals, the 2012 “Program expenses” totaled $883,080.
Telephone and utilities added another $100K to operating cost for the “Christian activist organization.” Al is on the phone a lot.
“Total functional Expenses” in 2012 were $3,973,343 out of gross receipts of $4,065,756. At the end of the year NAN reported $85,324 cash on-hand.
Listed among liabilities on its 2012 IRS Form 990 was $813,576 in “Payroll Taxes and related interest and penalties.” Oops!
One lingering question is this: Who received the $756,957 reported in “Part IX Statement of Functional Expenses”?
The combined amount of the two officers and directors (Al and NAN’s Legal Council totals $351,402) is not included in the $756,957.
If CGK Partners and Noerdilinger Media are part of the $756,957, that leaves $521,777 unattributed to any recipient(s).
NAN’s Legal Council was paid $110,000, but additional legal costs in Part IX, 11b are listed as $79,957. That’s an actual total of about $190,000 in 2012 legal expenses. That’s a lot of lawyering.
But, look, what difference does it make? Reverend Al owes the IRS about $5,000,000. They don’t seem anxious to collect.
His former image consultant is now the Chief of Staff for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife: New York City’s First Lady. So Al’s obviously well connected.
So, all is well for Reverend Al. He has money in his pockets.
But, something changed in NYC recently when Ismaaiyl Brinsley assassinated two NYC Policemen in retaliation for the deaths of Michael “Hands Up Don’t Shoot” Brown and “I Can’t Breath” Eric Garner.
Reverend Al now has more than money in his pockets.
He has blood on his hands.
