As news broke today about the Association of Community Organization Reform Now (ACORN) offering tax and loan advice to an alleged self-admitted pimp and prostitute as to how to obtain a government loan for a brothel, the story fell on deaf ears with the main-stream media.
To top it off this undercover couple, a 20-year-old journalism student and filmmaker, James O’Keefe, stated they intended to bring under-age illegal El Salvadorian girls to perform sex tricks. The ACORN employees are allegedly shown on tape telling the couple to change the name of prostitution to performing arts in order to secure government funding and file tax returns.
ACORN is a federally-funded organization known to have ties with the Democrat party as well as President Obama. The dog and pony show was caught on tape at a Baltimore, Maryland ACORN office. To view the interview go to; BigGovernment.com
Just when you think it couldn’t get worse, the ACORN employees are caught on tape listening to the undercover pimp say; “These girls are like 14, how can we trust them?”
The ever so helpful ACORN representative dutifully answers, “Just be very, very careful. Whatever you do, always keep your eyes in the back of your head.”
The employees are also on tape encouraging the ‘pimp’ to be careful and train the girls to keep their mouths shut.
In a statement from ACORN, Scott Levenson said, “The portrayal is false and defamatory and an attempt at gotcha journalism. This film crew tried to pull this sham at other offices and failed. ACORN wants to see the video before commenting further.”
Also, the Baltimore ACORN office fired the two employees shown on the tape and noted these workers didn’t share the ACORN philosophy.
This would seem fair, but currently the group is embroiled is a number of fraud cases regarding voter registration cases throughout the country. This is hardly a stellar record for a government-funded organization that claims once again to be the victim.
There have been several attempts to investigate the organization - all have failed. Currently Congressman Darrell Issa-R Calif. and Ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has put forth the latest report.
The report contends and “presents evidence that ACORN has evaded taxes, obstructed justice, engaged in racketeering and created a conspiracy to defraud the United States.”
This should be of concern to the American taxpayer because ACORN is eligible to get $8 billion in federal stimulus money.
Issa points out that “This report is a comprehensive and substantive examination of an organization that has operated in secrecy and outside the law.”
“Both structurally and operationally, ACORN hides behind a paper wall of nonprofit corporate protections to conceal a criminal conspiracy on the part of its directors, to launder federal money in order to pursue a partisan political agenda and to manipulate the American electorate. Emerging accounts of widespread deceit and corruption raise the need for a criminal investigation of ACORN,” Issa says in a statement. To read the entire report; Isaa report
For more stories; www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner
Comments
Democrats and Republicans both should be disgusted by this. And to think Obama just spoke with ACORN about helping him make decisions in the white house about a year and a half ago.
Acorn gets billions of our taxpayer dollars but washington refuses to investigate them. Remember BO worked for them. Se what happens when you have friends in high places. You notice not many reporters have even mentioned these radicals. This is just the tip of the iceberg......more to come.
Kimberly, thnaks for your factual reporting. There is obviously a systemic problem stemming from the top levels of ACORN. This organization needs to be fairly investigated and if charges are warranted, file them / charge them / convict them. We can not let ANY government funded entity go unpunished for this type of coruption, moral emptiness and total disregard for the way MY TAX DOLLARS are spent. SHAME on you ACORN!
Federal funds come into ACORN and go back out as political contributions. The people in the trenches for ACORN are often well-meaning, but they are dupes and shills for the Rathke family.
Would someone please document where stimulus or other federal money has actually been given to ACORN?
'Cause I can't find it anywhere in the federal records.
Libertarian,
If you want to see how much ACORN got in "stimulus" just go to Google and enter ACORN stimulus funds and factcheck and/or politifact.
The correct answer would be $0. Just as they received absolutely no compensation for the participation as a Census Bureau Partner, of which they were 1 of some 30,000+ such "partners" - none of which were compensated.
The claim by Republicans has been that ACORN was going to be eligible for stimulus money through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), because it was recently opened to non-profit participation as it had previously been limited to governments. (Using that logic, I guess technically, then the various KKK groups are likewise "eligible" as they are incorporated as non-profits and the Democrats thus expanded the program to make sure they were likewise eligible to get federal funds?)
The reality is that ACORN has neither applied for or received money through the NSP program as the deadline was July 17, 2009.
That is what my research found as well, lawboy - including going through the released lists of stimulus projects and funding.
Not that the facts will mean anything to the purveyors of this meme.
But using the Wilson example, I guess we should jump up and shout 'You LIE!' whenever someone claims ACORN is getting millions/billions/whatever.
"This should be of concern to the American taxpayer because ACORN is eligible to get $8 billion in federal stimulus money."
You LIE!
OK, Wells Fargo bank, unlike ACORN, _did_ get federal bailout money. Now one of its employees is staying and partying in Bernie Madoff's Malibu mansion, standing in the way of Madoff creditors being paid off? Some reason Kimberly D isn't jumping up and down and screaming about this? Or maybe the Wells Fargo stuff doesn't count because every involved is white.
OK, Wells Fargo bank, unlike ACORN, _did_ get federal bailout money. Now one of its employees is staying and partying in Bernie Madoff's Malibu mansion, standing in the way of Madoff creditors being paid off? Some reason Kimberly D isn't jumping up and down and screaming about this? Or maybe the Wells Fargo stuff doesn't count because every involved is white.
Let me get this straight - an employee of a private corporation (Wells Fargo Bank) using Madoff's home compares to ACORN community organizers advising individuals on how to get away with criminal activity involving illegal exploitation of minors, evading income tax, prostitution, etc. Wow, the world really has turned upside down.
@Just a taxpayer. Yes, you should get it straight. Many ACORN offices were tried; only one took the bait. The ACORN people who did were fired. ACORN doesn't receive federal money.
Wells Fargo does. The executive's actions violated fiduciary trust — of Madoff's victims actually. She's still working there.
Eric: Only 1 ACORN huh? Have you checked the news lately? Actually, you probably won't find anything about the 6 other ACORN offices that were filmed doing the same thing on the main stream media but if you do some digging - you'll find it.
Wells Fargo will pay the $ back. Stay on topic. We're talking about ACORN.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!