WASHINGTON (RNS) — The Internal Revenue Service is questioning a Southern Baptist pastor in California who endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, his lawyer said.

Pastor Wiley Drake of First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park received a Feb. 5 letter expressing concerns about an Aug. 11 press release issued on his church’s letterhead about the endorsement. The IRS letter notes that churches are prohibited from participating in political campaigns by supporting or opposing candidates.

Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, is representing Drake and said the endorsement was a personal one. Drake, a former SBC second vice president and current nominee for president, later issued a second statement clarifying that his was a personal endorsement.