Remember when Republicans used their Constitutional power to subpoena ACORN's tax returns?

[11 Bravo]

Certainly going after the taxes of a group whose chief reason for existing was to register Democratic voters could never be labeled as "political", could it?
Today, however, seeking the returns of a walking, talking conflict of interests crime wave is clearly a nakedly political act, and therefore hugely inappropriate.

See how that works?

Actually, Chuck Grassley inadvertently let the cat out of the bag. Scoffing at an attempt to draw attention to the inherent hypocrisy of the situation, Grassley claimed the differences were so stark as to be "black and white".
When I heard that I thought, yup, ACORN was largely black, and Trump is so fucking white that he glows in the dark.

Thanks for clearing that up for us, Chuck.

[FBaggins]

1. No. Can you provide a link?

I remember stories that the IRS and state of LA had placed liens on their HQ for unpaid taxes... but I don't remember Congress trying to subpoena their tax returns.

[11 Bravo]

2. Not ACORN, but I found this.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-tax-returns-republicans_n_5cabadcbe4b01b34503a5309

(I'll keep searching, but I'm certain that Grassley, when he was the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, sought and obtained ACORN's tax info. Perhaps he just asked for them, and his request was granted. Dems asked for Trump's returns first, and were rebuffed. That's the only reason a subpoena even enters into the discussion.)

[atreides1]

4. Found these.

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/09/grassley_issa_call_for_acorn_p.html



https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/grassley-seeks-irs-counsel-on-tax-exempt-group-facing-allegations-of-vote-fraud

[Igel]

5. They fall short of the claim.

Doesn't ask for tax returns. Asks for info that may eventually lead to an IRS "forensic audit" of ACORN's tax returns.

Granted, silence doesn't mean it didn't happen; but if it had happened, "silence" would not be what we'd expect to observe.

[NewJeffCT]

3. It wasn't specific for Democratic voters

it was for urban voters, which are almost always Democratic, which is why Republicans moved so fast to defund ACORN when the O'Keefe video came out

and, it took Democrats years to recover - 2010 to 2016 the states trended more and more red. Until 2018 at least.

[IndianaDave]

6. I remember the Acorn incident very well. It was a completely manufacturered problem --

and both nakedly political and emphatically racist. It was disheartening and disgusting. Our current attempts to investigate are both legally defensible and noble. We're seeking TRUTH, not power. And I believe -- in spite of the unnecessary obstacles -- in the end, we will succeed.