It’s been a crappy year for Jerry Falwell Jr.
The evangelical leader had an epic fall from grace over the summer, beginning with that now-infamous yacht photo and accompanying video and ending with the pool boy cuckolding sex scandal that resulted in him losing his cushy job as president of Liberty University.
Now, it’s being reported that, prior to being let go from Liberty, Falwell ordered millions of dollars in school funds to be spent bankrolling Donald Trump‘s reelection campaign, as well as other GOP candidates and several antigay hate groups.
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The money was funneled through the Falkirk Center, a “think tank” co-founded by Falwell and funded by Liberty.
In addition to spending $50,000 on Facebook ads promoting Trump and other GOP candidates, the center hired several Trump surrogates to serve as “fellows,” and it has been actively promoting Trump’s false claims about election fraud.
Why is this a problem exactly?
Well, Politico reports:
The university is pushing the boundaries of its status as a nonprofit organization under Section 501c(3) of the federal tax code, which forbids spending money on political campaigns. Liberty’s actions also go well beyond the traditional role of a university as a politically neutral institution of higher learning.
Politico also reports that Liberty, under Falwell’s leadership, gave over $2 million to the Faith and Freedom Coalition in 2018. It also donated $300,000 each to the antigay hate groups Citizens United, Vineyard Outreach America, and Heritage Action, the lobbying arm of Heritage Foundation.
In August, Falwell was forced out as president of the university because of that whole pool boy thing. Despite receiving a $10.5 million severance package, he sued the school in October.
The lawsuit accused the university of setting out “to destroy Mr. Falwell’s reputation through numerous defamatory statements that affirm the outrageous lies of an unstable individual who attempted to extort the Falwells.”
Last week, however, Liberty announced it was “pleased” Falwell had inexplicably dropped the lawsuit. It has not commented on the latest reports about the Falkirk Center’s potentially illegal political donations.
Related: Here it is, the ultimate Jerry Falwell Jr. pool boy tell-all
tjack47
It’s not sex, nor the kind of sex. Feel free to partake, but don’t tell me nor anyone else how to live our sex lives. Hypocrisy runs rampant. Homophobes run rampant. Religion and its institutions are rife with them.
This story is different. I believe they must be held accountable by losing their nonprofit status, tax exempt status. So many types of churches of Christian denominations are much too political. The congregants know for whom they are expected to vote.
frankcar1965
Naughty? What a juvenile term even for Queerty, just how old is this author?
barryaksarben
This school should lose its tax exempt status immediately. He could not have been the only one there who knew about this
fur_hunter
Jerry ‘Pool Boy’ Falwell, Jr. is a f ucking a ss hole dip s hit lying HYPOCRITE. (I didn’t put commas in between the adjectives and I spaced letters because the last time I wrote out the words and put in commas, they wouldn’t post my comment here. I think my name has been flagged here.)
Steve
May he and all trumpers burn
lambchopp59
Self immolation? Crash and burn with the Trump trane? Maybe just burning up with a fever since they won’t wear f*cking masks. Sometimes I feel natural selection does need to do it’s job to remove rampant ecological hazards, heaven only knows the Trumper’s driving their jacked up pickemup twucks with Trump 2020 flags, blowing their train whistle horns for attention…
We could all do without.
I’m so sick as well of the doubled down hypocrisy they’re incapable of even recognizing.
TEEMSTIR
Be and Do whatever !!!
But don’t be hypocritical and work against other
People who do the same things !!
He is truly a Big Shit
Essie
Falwell dropping the lawsuit against Liberty was not “inexplicable” at all. Falwell would have had to produce a lot of information (discovery) in a lawsuit and his lawyers most likely advised him to drop it. Not worth the information that would come out in court.
Also, Liberty’s tax-exempt status should be taken away immediately. That university is nowhere near “neutral” and they aren’t even pretending to be. What a farce.
Prax07
I’m surprised there’s no sex tape yet.
Tombear
Everything is coming up roses! First Falwell and now Trump. Everything is coming up roses and lollipops for Biden and we!
Peacemaker
It’s time churches pay taxes. It’s passed time.
Mack
Agreed, especially if they’ve participated in political dealings as most large churches do. They’re nothing but an excuse to rip people off and line their own pockets while avoiding taxes.