Asked recently to explain why he accepted over $1 million in pay from his own charity last year, notorious racial grievance monger and left-wing activist Al Sharpton argued that he deserved the money and that his choice to take only $1 million was generous.

And yes, that really happened.

Last year, Sharpton’s National Action Network — a non-profit linked to the Freddy’s Fashion Mart massacre and anti-Semitic Muslim Rep. Rashida Tlaib — paid him $1,046,948, according to tax filings reviewed by the New York Post.

“Sharpton got a $324,000 salary — 32% higher than his 2017 pay — in addition to a $159,596 bonus and $563,352 in ‘other compensation,'” the Post reported.

The nonprofit reportedly claimed the extra money was simply money it owed him as per the work he’d done for it between 2004 and 2017. He was “underpaid and received no bonus,” the Harlem-based group said in a statement to the Post.

“NAN said it hired an executive compensation firm that determined the good reverend was owed $1.252 million — but he was generously willing to take $500,000 less,” the Post added.

Such a nice, selfless guy …

Al Sharpton when cornered on obsessive selfies instantly resorts to old Dem tactic – blame Trump https://t.co/d2viSUUIO1 pic.twitter.com/EGmhkahejW — Jack Furnari (@JackBPR) June 23, 2017

Speaking with the Post last week, the reportedly “sharp-dressing, silver-tongued preacher” defended his $1 million payday by arguing that he deserved it.

“Fifteen years, you are talking about since 2004 when I came back after running for president,” he said. “For anybody else it would be laughable. It’s a six-day-a-week job and several hours a day, and when [the compensation firm] compared it to other companies, other non profits, that’s the salary that they would get.”

Fact-check: FALSE.

“In 2014, a nonprofit salary study indicated that the average salary of a CEO was $118,678, but compensation varied, based upon the overall operating budget of the organization,” the Houston Chronicle reported last year.

CEOs at nonprofits with an operating budget under $500,000 received an average of $60,000, while CEOs at nonprofits with an operating budget surpassing $50,000,000 received an average of $317,024, the report noted.

What’s NAN’s operating budget? While that remains unclear, the Capital Research Center’s Influence Watch notes that that in 2016 NAN earned $5,821,440 in revenue, paid $5,817,203 in expenses and owned a paltry $521,827 in assets.

FYI College Students! Corruption 101. National Action Network (NAN) https://t.co/6iWHS2BW4H — Who’s Funding U? (@MnStand) April 8, 2019

Meanwhile, even as Sharpton was allegedly being “underpaid,” he collected arguably exorbitant sums of money that the Post notes far surpassed known averages.

“He certainly wasn’t coveting his neighbor’s paycheck in 2017, when his NAN salary came to $244,661, or the year before, when he was paid $250,000 plus a $437,555 bonus,” the Post reported. “NAN justified the bonus at the time saying it was designed to make up for a lack of full compensation, including no retirement or benefits packages over the years.”

Meanwhile, Sharpton reportedly earned a whopping average annual pay of $283,543 from 2007 through 2016, with the highest pay coming in at $348,244 plus a $64,400 bonus in 2014.

Poor guy …

Al Sharpton sells rights to his life story for over half a million dollars … to his own charity! https://t.co/QGCb1bwE89 — CB???? (@karma1244) December 2, 2018

He’s so “poor,” in fact, that last year he sold the rights to his life story to his own charity for a whopping $531,000. Why did NAN buy the story? Well, perhaps its mission statement will provide some clues.

“National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States,” the group’s mission statement reads. “Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, criminal record, economic status, gender, gender expression, or sexuality.”

Sure, and nothing says “decency” like spending half a million dollars to buy the life story of the type of a man who would sell his life story to his own charity.

MLK would be proud …

Sharpton is likewise so “poor” that he’s been unable to pay his taxes.

“Sharpton has been paying down millions in his own personal federal and state tax liens,” the Post’s report concluded. “In June, he finally paid off his personal tax debt to the state, which last year stood at $95,031.21. He still owes $698,470.99 in back taxes for three of his companies, according to the state Tax Department.”

If only life wasn’t so unfair for him …

Or his daughter, who too is known for her share of shady activities.

Last year she accepted a $95,000 settlement from New York City over an allegedly devastating sprained ankle she suffered while walking through the city four years ago.

But Instagram photos she uploaded around this same time period showed her enjoying life as if her ankle were just fine:

She was even pictured wearing high heels:

She was also seen climbing a mountain:

She was seen hiking:

And she was seen decorating a Christmas tree:

She was also seen marching at a National Action Network event in Washington, D.C. just two months after the allegedly devastating fall. And prior to her lawsuit’s settlement, she reportedly missed at least four depositions and refused to fully answer the city’s questions about her alleged injuries.

Yet NYC settled with her anyway because, well, it’s NYC …