The Rev. Al Sharpton gave himself a 71 percent raise in 2014 as head of his National Action Network, the
New York Post reports.
The raise was made possible after NAN received a significant uptick in donations, a record $6.9 million, according to the Post. That is $2 million more than the previous year.
The Post attributed the rise in donations to the controversial clergyman's association with Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio and President Barack Obama Obama lending him "a newfound air of legitimacy."
De Blasio treated Sharpton as an adviser after the death of Eric Garner during a police arrest, and Obama spoke at NAN's 2014 annual convention, the Post noted.
Though NAN is not required to publicize its donors, it has listed AT&T, real-estate developer Forest City Ratner, Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, Verizon, and GE Asset Management among them.
Even with the extra cash, both NAN and Sharpton still owe significant amounts in back taxes.
Sharpton said in a written statement that NAN was repaying him for years he did not receive compensation for his position. The Post pointed to tax records showing he was paid only $4,860 in 2006 and received no salary in 2007 and 2008.
But a NAN spokesman told the paper the money was for loan repayment.
Former IRS official Marcus Owens was dubious, telling the Post, "To structure the payoff of a loan through a salary transfer doesn’t seem really plausible because no one would want to pay income tax on their own money coming back to them. It seems like that characterization was developed after the fact for some other purpose."
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