U.S. can’t list Westboro Baptist as a ‘hate group’
In response to five “We the People” petitions, the White House condemned the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church but said it is powerless to list the Kansas church as a hate group and remove its tax-exempt status.
The White House response July 1 said the federal government does not maintain a list of hate groups, leaving that task to private organizations, such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Both have called Westboro a hate group.
Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kansas, is best known for its graphic “God Hates Fags” signs and its continued picketing of military funerals.
