WASHINGTON — The leading Republican on the Senate Finance Committee is investigating prominent televangelists and their financial conduct, pursuing reports of elaborate private jets, Rolls Royces and indulgent salaries. “It is important that the Congress and the public have confidence that public charities, which benefit from very significant tax breaks, are operated in a manner that promotes continued trust,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R–Iowa, said in a Nov. 5 letter to the TV preachers.
Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn are among representatives of six ministries asked to hand over their records of expenses and compensations to Grassley. Because of their non-profit “church status,” all of the ministries are tax-exempt and not required to submit their financial information to the Internal Revenue Service.
“I don’t want to conclude that there’s a problem, but I have an obligation to donors and the taxpayers to find out more,” Grassley said. “I’m following up on complaints from the public and news coverage regarding certain practices at six ministries.”
Other ministries that Grassley has identified for investigation include Paula and Randy White; Gloria and Kenneth Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Newark, Texas; and Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers International in College Park, Ga.
The senator’s goal is to bring transparency to the donor-funded, billion-dollar industry of TV evangelism, according to his statement. No Southern Baptist churches are being investigated.
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