Americans United for the Separation of Church and State filed a complaint with the IRS claiming that Liberty University was violating the federal tax code (as a tax-exempt entity) by “banning” a Democratic group while allowing a Republican one.

Liberty Counsel, the legal arm of the Falwell associated group that includes Liberty University, has responded by filing its own complaint to the IRS, claiming that AU uses IRS complaints as a means to “intimidate, silence, and harm” those with whom it disagrees.  In part, the Liberty Counsel cites as evidence the fact that the IRS considers such complaints to be confidential, while AU widely publicizes them.  They also note that the AU website clearly states its focus on the “religious right” (currently it says “monitoring the Religious Right” is one of the top 3 things that the AU does), while it appears to ignore partisan activities on the opposite side of the spectrum. The Liberty Counsel has asked the IRS to enjoin the AU from further “abusive attacks” and investigate whether the actions of the AU violate its own tax-exempt status.

Americans United has frequently joined the chorus of those criticizing Christians in the military (calling religion in the military an “ongoing problem”), including supporting al Jazeera’s claim that military Chaplain’s are prohibited from preaching their beliefs.  Americans United is listed as a “partnering link” on the Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s website (though it does not reciprocate on its own site), and the AU and MRFF recently released a joint letter to the Chief of Naval Operations seeking an investigation into former Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt.

The recent tit-for-tat with the IRS has put the AU in the position it normally places others, releasing a statement criticizing the “baseless IRS complaint.”

Also noted at the Religion Clause.