Pat Robertson's Hurricane Hustle

In 2001, newly appointed FEMA director Joe Allbaugh characterized his agency as "an oversized entitlement program," and advised states and cities to rely instead on "faith-based organizations." Through the handiwork of his successor and former college roommate, Mike Brown, Allbaugh's recommendations have been implemented. Anyone seeking guidance from FEMA on ways to help hurricane victims would have found only two secular groups on the agency's list of organizations accepting donations for hurricane relief work. Among groups FEMA did promote was Pat Robertson's Operation Blessing, a tax-exempt non-profit which Robertson has used in the past to bilk donors to advance his shadowy financial partnerships with African dictators. As Robertson raked in contributions throughout last weekend, his daily TV program, the 700 Club, attacked "the mindset" of New Orleans evacuees. I detailed Robertson's hurricane hustle for the Nation...