Trump Pressures Civic Groups After Law Firms and Universities... "Considering Revoking Tax-Exempt Status"

Mentioning the Tax-Exempt Status of CREW and Others

US President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure by hinting at retaliatory measures not only against prominent law firms and prestigious universities, but also against civic organizations.

According to the Associated Press on April 17 (local time), President Trump announced that he is considering revoking the tax-exempt status of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC.

Regarding CREW, President Trump stated, "It is supposed to be a public interest organization. Their only public interest is going after Donald Trump. So we are looking into it. We are reviewing many things," he said.

In addition to CREW, President Trump also mentioned the tax-exempt status of environmental organizations that oppose his oil production expansion policy.

Donald Trump US President, Photo by Asia Economy DB

He emphasized, "Tax-exempt status is a privilege. It really is a privilege, and it is being abused in far more places than at Harvard. We will be making some statements. This is a big issue."

Given that CREW is a leading organization exposing government and political corruption in Washington and has long monitored President Trump, the threat to revoke its tax-exempt status is widely seen as retaliatory in nature.

This organization participated in a lawsuit aimed at blocking President Trump's return to the White House over his alleged role in inciting the January 6 Capitol riot, and recently filed another lawsuit opposing the Trump administration's large-scale layoffs of federal employees.

Noah Eisen, the founder, played a key role in President Trump's impeachment during his first term.