Darrell Issa

ACORN Local Chapters Declare Independence; Makeover Appears Cosmetic

ACORN officialsIt's hard to imagine the scandal-plagued Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, suddenly developing a case of contrition or modesty. So the raft of reports racing across the blogosphere today that the New Orleans-based nationwide radical nonprofit network is on the brink of dissolving itself should be taken with a degree of skepticism. The move may be little more than savvy public relations. "ACORN has dissolved as a national structure of state organizations," remarked an unnamed senior official close to the organization. "Consistent with what the internal recommendations have been, each of the states are developing plans for reconstitution, independence and self-sufficiency." The source added that the splinter organizations "will be constituted under new banners and new bylaws and new governance.

Justice Department Files Brief to Restore Ban on ACORN Funding

ACORN activistThe scandal-ridden Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, needs money. And more than ever it's counting on the federal government to deliver it. A December 11 ruling by a federal judge in New York overturning a funding ban in the current budget may well reopen the floodgates. Ironically, it's the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that stands in the way. On December 16, the department filed a memorandum opposing the New Orleans-based nationwide radical nonprofit "anti-poverty" network's claim that it had been unjustly singled out for a funding cutoff for Fiscal Year 2010. In other words, the government, for a change, was protecting taxpayer interests. Whether those interests prevail in court depends on interpretations of the Constitution's ban on bills of attainder and its protection of due process and freedom of association.

Federal Judge in N.Y. Protects ACORN Government Funding

ACORNRadicals long have used the judicial system as an effective last-ditch weapon to circumvent decisions by the legislative branch. This past Friday, one of their leading lights, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, better known as ACORN, showed the advantages of having a sympathetic federal judge in one's corner. This past Friday, U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon of the Eastern District of New York, a Clinton appointee, issued a preliminary injunction against the recent congressional cutoff of funds for the New Orleans-based nonprofit network.

Harshbarger Whitewashes ACORN Lawbreaking

Bertha LewisThe Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, has a justly earned reputation this decade for voter registration fraud, embezzlement and other illegal acts. Yet according to an eagerly-awaited internal assessment released yesterday, the radical nationwide nonprofit network's main, if not sole, problem is inadequate employee training and oversight. The audit, supervised by former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, had been prompted by employees of ACORN offices in different cities caught in a video sting this summer giving advice on how to hide assets and falsify loan documents. The New Orleans-based "anti-poverty" organization and its defenders see vindication. Critics see a whitewash, a set of rigged conclusions. The latter view is hard to avoid.

Justice Dept. IG Uncovers Grants to ACORN Affiliates

ACORN leadersThe Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, more commonly known as ACORN, has earned its notoriety. The New Orleans-based far-Left nonprofit network has been implicated in embezzlement, tax evasion, voter registration fraud and other criminal activity. In response, Congress, the Census Bureau and the IRS each have decided to cut off ACORN funding. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) may or may not join them, but an audit issued this month by its Office of Inspector General isn't likely to help the group's case.

Justice Department Inspector General Opens Investigation of ACORN

Rep. Lamar SmithThe IRS isn't the only federal agency alarmed over the potentially criminal activities of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN. At the start of this week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced its Office of Inspector General was initiating a probe of the radical New Orleans-based nonprofit nationwide network. The move was in response to a request by several members of Congress, led by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Tex., for aggressive oversight of the hard Left organization, which over the years has been a key cog in the Democratic Party and especially in the rise of the political career of Barack Obama. "It is clear that ACORN has fostered a culture of corruption," said Rep. Smith, Ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. "With investigations of ACORN now occurring in 20 states, it is time for the FBI to open up a full-scale investigation into possible criminal conduct by ACORN."

Flaherty: 'Deeper Scandal' is ACORN Finances

On CNN's Lou Dobbs program, reporter Bill Tucker explores the relationships between New York politicians who earmark tax money for ACORN front groups, and the subsequent campaign help they receive from ACORN.

JPMorgan Chase Asked to Stop Funding ACORN

Dimon photoNLPC has asked JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to end financial support for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), and its affiliates. According to the 2007 tax return for the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, the most recent available, ACORN Housing, Inc. was the recipient of a million dollar grant in 2007.  Another grant of $25,000 was made to the ACORN Institute. In a letter to Dimon, I warned:

Continued identification with ACORN harms the company’s brand name and reputation, and carries special risks for this company, a recipient of taxpayer TARP funds. The New York Times has identified you as President Obama’s “favorite banker.”

Issa Concludes ACORN Is a Racket

ACORN logoThe Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, deservedly has received enormous amounts of bad press over the past couple years. The New Orleans-based nonprofit network of radical activists, with hundreds of affiliates in more than 40 states, has been at the center of investigations into voter registration fraud, unauthorized use of taxpayer funds for lobbying and other forms of partisan politics, phony tax filings, and an embezzlement scandal that cost its founder and chief organizer his job a little over a year ago.

Issa: Obama Abetting Union Corruption

Rep. Darrell IssaFrom literally day one, the Obama administration has made clear its intent to back off from investigating corruption within organized labor. At least one member of the House of Representatives has expressed concern over this direction in policy. On June 23, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued a press release highlighting his objection to the ongoing rollback of union financial reporting requirements by the Department of Labor (DOL). His intent was to publicize a letter he'd sent the previous day to Denise Boucher, policy and disclosure director of the department's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS).

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