A charity affiliated closely with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is reportedly facing an investigation from state officials who say the nonprofit group may not be properly registered to solicit donations in Georgia.
The Ebenezer Building Foundation lists Warnock as its top officer and is controlled by the Atlanta church at which Warnock is the pastor and from which he continues to earn income while serving in the Senate.
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Georgia officials said in a letter to the foundation this week that their “records indicate that Ebenezer Building Foundation Inc … is not registered as a charitable organization in the State of Georgia,” according to the Washington Free Beacon, which obtained the letter.
“Accordingly, if Ebenezer Building Foundation is soliciting charitable contributions and operating in the State of Georgia without an active registration or applicable exemption, it is in violation of” the state’s nonprofit law, the officials wrote.
The foundation takes in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, according to tax filings, and its main focus is to “assist the Martin Luther King Sr. Community Resources Collaborative through financial support and administrative services for its properties.”
The Warnock campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Scrutiny of Warnock’s finances has emerged previously in Georgia’s bitter Senate race.
Warnock’s campaign spent funds on a lawsuit against him and his church in a potential violation of campaign finance laws, given that the lawsuit related to allegations, widely regarded as frivolous, that took place long before Warnock ascended to the Senate.
Republicans have also gone after Warnock for continuing to draw a substantial allowance from Ebenezer Church while serving in office. He has collected roughly $90,000 a year in housing support.
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But Warnock continues to lead his Republican opponent, Herschel Walker, in recent polls.
His standing was strengthened this month following a bombshell report that alleged Walker, an anti-abortion candidate, had encouraged and then paid for a girlfriend’s abortion in 2009.