While “dark money” nonprofit groups are disallowed from making political activity their primary activity, the Internal Revenue Service rarely audits the groups to monitor their spending. The IRS has begun auditing only 26 organizations — out of more than a million it oversees — for political engagement since 2010, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
From the story: “More than 100 nonprofit groups have directly involved themselves in elections during recent years, some spending into the tens of millions of dollars. The rest — largely charities that are generally prohibited from campaigning for politicians — are seldom monitored to ensure they follow federal law. The situation leaves the groups largely free to operate like political committees without fear of reprisal.”
Read the full story by the Center for Public Integrity.