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At tax time, many Americans might find it pretty tempting to emulate Rev. Al Sharpton. After all, heseems to get by just fine no matter how many taxeshe owes and no matter for how long. And he seems to be more of a fixture at the White House than Lois Lerners hard drive. Even Politico seems to be scratching its collective head. Politico was where Lois Lerner broke her silence.

And Politico justasked outgoing Attorney GeneralEric Holder,IsAl Sharptontoo close to this White House? The softball interviewer who had the temerity to make such an outrageous suggestion wasMike Allen, Politicos chief White House correspondent. That such aquestionis even being asked by Democrats who rarely question the President is a surprise.

Mr. Sharpton has been accused , for example, byEric Garners daughter,of beingallaboutthemoney. And yet the reverend and activist owes New York State over $900,000 from 2008 and 2010 taxes, and greater sums to the IRS. With about $4.5 million in tax liens, most taxpayers know they would be pushed and prodded to pay. Mr. Sharpton, however, seems graced by a kind of Teflon liturgical outfit.

Some might be luck, of course. On severaloccasions he suffered fires that destroyed his records. It is hard not to think ofLois Lerners hard drive. Several fires destroyed Mr. Sharptons financial records just as he was about to turn them over to officials. But AG Holder sees no problem, though Mr. Sharpton has been to the White House on many occasions. Aside from Mr. Holder, many peoplehave questioned whyPresident Obamawould so elevateRev.Sharpton, particularly sincehe owes millions in taxes.

Mr. Holder sawnoproblem with Rev.Sharptons proximity to the most powerful man in the world, saying, The president has a number of people who he listens to, who he interacts with. You know, Reverend Sharpton is a person who has interacted with people within the administration, including myself. But we also hear from people who have, you know, fundamentally different views than Al Sharpton has.

Not all of the tax problems are new. In 1993, Rev. Sharptonpleaded guilty to a misdemeanorfor failure to file a state tax return. HisRaw Talent operation which he usesforspeaking engagements has reportedly also hadtax problems. But beyond these smidgens, Mr. Sharpton has never faced criminal tax-related charges. He has been marvelously successful inexplaining that he is simply in over his head.

It isnt only the taxman that is not being paid, according to reports. Even worthy causes like hotels, landlords, and travel agencies are getting the cold shoulder from Mr. Sharpton or from his advocacy organization, theNational Action Network. He hastwo for-profit business,Revals Communications and Raw Talent. Some of his financial woes appear to stem from poor divisions between business and personal, a common tax problem among entrepreneurs.

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