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Some Question Robertson's Katrina
Charity
ABC News
Operation Blessing Is Second on FEMA's List for Donations for Hurricane
Victims
By BRIAN ROSS
Sep. 9, 2005
Sep. 9, 2005 - Charity and religious leaders are questioning why the Federal
Emergency Management Agency designated Operation Blessing as the No. 2 charity
for donations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Operation Blessing is the charity founded and still chaired by Pat
Robertson, the politically well-connected television evangelist, who recently
called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've never had anything like this," Robertson told
his audience. "Let's rally together and do what we can."
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the federal government,
through FEMA, issued a list of charities to which Americans should donate. On
that list, Operation Blessing was only second to the American Red Cross.
Charity leaders say this FEMA recommendation is a huge boost for Robertson's
charity.
"It could be worth tens of millions of dollars," said Richard Walden,
president and founder of Operation USA, a non-governmental organization
specializing in disaster relief.
However, as Robertson hosted his daily television show in Mississippi this
week, other charity leaders were questioning why FEMA had recommended
Robertson's operation and left others off the list, including Walden's
Operation USA.
"I was shocked," said Walden upon seeing Robertson's charity so prominently
displayed on the FEMA Web site. "It stuck out for a reason because of Pat
Robertson's activities over the years."
Questions of Accountability
Seven years ago, those activities led Virginia investigators to say there
was evidence to prove Robertson "willfully induced contributions from the
public through the use of misleading statements." Robertson denied the
allegations. He then personally reimbursed Operation Blessing. No action was
taken.
"Based on their track record, I would say that, as an individual, I would
not give to Operational Blessing," admitted the Rev. Charles Henderson, a
Presbyterian minister, who is the executive director of the Association for
Religion and Intellectual Life.
According to its most recent filing with the Internal Revenue Service,
Operation Blessing gave more than half of its yearly allocation of cash
donations -- $885,000 -- to the Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, of
which Robertson is also the chairman.
"There is no accountability when you have two boards working hand in hand
like this," said Henderson. "One never knows when you're contributing to
Operation Blessing whether the money is really going to the hurricane victims,
or whether it's going to pay for some more television time for Pat Robertson's
television show."
Some charity watchdog groups have given high marks to Operation Blessing.
Bill Horan, the charity's president, at first denied his charity gave any money
to Robertson's television operation.
"Well, that's an absolute, total and complete distortion of the truth,"
Horan said. "Operation Blessing does not give 1 red cent to CBN."
When he was told of the Operation Blessing documents obtained by ABC News,
which show a contribution of $885,000 to CBN, Horan called it an accounting
issue.
"I'm president of a charity that's been working 22 to 24 hours a day for the
last week trying to save lives down there," he said, "and I'm not going to talk
any more about the issues that involve accounting."
A spokesman for Operation Blessing later told ABC News that the charity
utilizes Robertson's television network as a conduit for delivering donations
overseas, and that none of the money has been used for network activities.
As for FEMA, Director Michael Brown says that he does not know who decided
to recommend Robertson's charity so prominently.
ABC News' David Scott and Avni Patel contributed to this report.
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