Texas churches violated tax law ahead of Tuesday’s election, experts say – By Jeremy Schwartz, Jessica Priest and Perla Trevizo (Texas Tribune/ProPublica) / Nov 6, 2022
Churches in Texas invited Beto O’Rourke and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to speak to their congregations before the 2022 midterms, raising questions about the effectiveness of the Johnson Amendment.
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Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is seeking reelection, have been crisscrossing the state in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election, visiting megachurches and smaller houses of worship packed tight with parishioners.
The stops are part of a longstanding tradition for political candidates that often accelerates as Election Day nears.
Two Sundays ago, O’Rourke, a Democrat, and Patrick, a Republican, visited different churches where pastors praised them and allowed them to give speeches about the upcoming election. This was in violation of federal law, according to tax law experts. Known as the Johnson Amendment, the law bars tax-exempt organizations from intervening in political campaigns.
At St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church in Dallas on the morning of Oct. 23, pastor Richie Butler introduced O’Rourke to his congregation as “the next governor of Texas.”
CONTINUE > https://www.texastribune.org/2022/11/06/texas-churches-johnson-amendment-election/
