Today on his Facebook page, David Barton made a video pitch on behalf of Mercury One, Glenn Beck’s personal charity. Barton is the president of the board for Mercury One. In the appeal, he held up shirts which are being sold to help support Christians who are targeted by ISIS. Barton said Mercury One has helped 12,000 Christians avoid ISIS.
I would really like to believe this. But here’s where it gets real. I can’t trust Barton, so I don’t readily accept that 12,000 people have been helped. In fact, I am posting this with the hope that someone who is associated with Mercury One will offer proof. I also hope my friends in the non-profit oversight sector will look into this.
Why am I skeptical?
Wallbulders was a direct recipient of over $100,000 from Mercury One in both 2013 and 2014. See the 2014 segment of Mercury One’s 990 form below. When Mercury One raises money, Barton gets some of it.
Furthermore, these stories of playing basketball at ORU, getting carried to class by police officers at ORU, having an earned doctorate degree without saying where he got it and then taking down the video evidence add up to a skeptical public. It doesn’t seem like a great marketing campaign to have someone who tells stories and then fails to back them up raising money for your charity.