How Did Eli Lake Get Confidential IRS Documents for his J Street Story?

I said my piece yesterday about Eli Lake’s fake expose on George Soros’ donations to J Street.  But a new question came to me today.  J Street is a 501c4.  As such the IRS does not publicly disclose donors to such groups.  So how did Lake get the names of Soros and the organization’s other major donors?  My money is on a few possibilities: a Republican operative (perhaps in Congress), a former J Street staffer, or someone at the IRS.  But however he got the data, my money is on Aipac, with its active intel capabilities, or the Republican Jewish Coalition (or someone perhaps freelancing who is closely associated with it) as playing a major role in facilitating this.

Think of the timing: there is only a month remaining before the mid-term elections.  Control of the House and possibly the Senate lies in the balance.  Even a few elections in states with large Jewish populations in which J Street could play a major role (think Joe Sestak)–even this could swing the balance from blue to red.  If J Street is wounded.  If its donations dry up at this vital juncture, then those few candidates will have less money to place ads on TV.  Their message will be stifled.  And even if there is only a marginal impact on the campaigns through this fake scandal, then big things could result for Republicans.

I’d guess my money would be on the RJC for that very reason.  They have everything to gain from these revelations.  Their past sleazy behavior has proven that they have little to lose in the scruples or morals department.  So there’s almost no downside for them even if eventually someone (not Eli Lake) discovers that they were involved.  The RJC is built on sleaze.  It thrives on it.  In fact, I bet, if they were involved, that Matt Brooks is high-fiving it up as I write this.

Yes, it’s true, this is speculation.  No smoking gun, yet.  But who knows.  The circle turns.  The joker is sometimes unmasked.

The media is rife with stories about how dirty political media campaigns have become in this election cycle, about how opaque the funding is.  But Lake’s story has proven that there can be a flip side.  If you have a highly motivated, well-funded, and skilled enemy, they can hurt you.  Once again, this proves the stupidity of the Supreme Court’s decision to turn U.S. federal elections into the Wild, Wild West.  It shows the virtue of full transparency in the sphere of campaign funding.  I say force J Street and every other 501c4 including ones financed by the fatcats of Aipac and RJC to publicly name their donors and how much they gave.

And I warn whichever Republican spook secured Lake’s scoop for him: what goes around comes around.  And I hope to God that you, and whatever 501c4 you’re affiliated with, are next.

NOTE: I just read Ron Kampeas’ fabulous blog post on this story.  Among his best lines is:

J Street has a “who am I” problem.

Which is precisely what I write above and have been writing here for a year or more.  Are they for Iran sanctions or agin ’em (for ’em now, agin ’em before they were for ’em)?  Are they for Goldstone or agin ‘im (a little of both)?  Are they independent and progressive or Obama’s “blocking back?”

Kampeas really nails Lake far better than even I can do, because he swims in the same pool as they do as a Jewish journalist and because Kampeas has far more experience covering this inside the Beltway political zone.  I apologize for including Ron in my challenge of yesterday as to journalists who should digging at this and related stories harder.  But I’d still like to see Ron and other work at unearthing the sugar daddies of the right wing pro Israel 501c4s.