Justice Department to see whether ACORN got department funding

[babylonsister]

Justice Department to see whether ACORN got department funding

By Barbara Barrett and Marisa Taylor | McClatchy Newspapers


WASHINGTON — Responding to Republican charges that the community organizing group ACORN has misused federal grants, the Justice Department's inspector general said Monday that he'd assess whether ACORN got any department funds, and if it did, what it did with the money.

In a letter to Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, Inspector General Glenn Fine also said that his office would review whether the Justice Department has audited any money that ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) might have received.

According to Republican lawmakers and a top ACORN official, the grassroots organization has received some $53 million in federal funding since 1994.

Republicans began calling for federal investigations of the group after ACORN workers at several offices offered questionable tax advice to two conservative activists posing as a prostitute and her pimp.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, last week sent letters to seven other federal agencies, asking them to review ACORN's funding.

more...

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/politics/story/75802.html

[virgogal]

1. Maybe the GOP called for the investigation but they aren't the

only ones upset about ACORN's actions----lots of plain old hard-working Dems are.

[drm604]

5. And then there are some of us who actually understand what's going on.

But don't let that stop you.

[virgogal]

8. And there are some of us not as informed as others. That's

the way it is,oh Wise One.

[drm604]

12. A snarky answer instead of discussion.

Whatever.

[EFerrari]

9. The working poor is the biggest group that ACORN serves.

I hope "plain old hard working Dems" are pissed as hell about this witch hunt.

[bobbolink]

2. Why do I get the feeling this organization is being presumed Guilty?

Isn't that UnAmerican?

[vadawg]

4. seems that all organisations are presumed guilty depending on what side of the political fence they

are on, it will be interesting to see where federal dollars were spent by acorn, it will either damn them or exonerate them, but i think we need to know...

[bobbolink]

7. I think it has to do with WHO the organizations serve.

Period.

[vadawg]

11. dont care who the organizations serve, we as taxpayers have the right and duty to make sure our mone

is spent wisely and not wasted no matter if its acorn or the dept of defense. i think its going to get interesting to find out how acorn used the funds given to them andit will either clear them or destroy them..

[bobbolink]

14. No, I don't imagine you do care. Some of us, thank the goddess, DO care.

[vadawg]

15. but you dont care if they could be corrupt, as long as they support your beliefs

sorry but that dosent wash, i dont care who the organisation is, if they are corrupt or even just wasting our tax payer dollars then we have a right to know. Then its up to us to decide whether we want to keep funding them or not, or are you okay with money being wasted as long as its the right people wasting the money...

[bobbolink]

16. That's what I thought. You're waaaaay off the deep end.

Yes, we already know you don't care.

You made that quite plain.

This is nothing more than RW bigotry.

bye now...enjoy your stay.....

[vadawg]

17. lol is that the best you have got, i see you cant answer the question

so tell me is it okay if someone is a crook as long as they are our crooks, lol and yes i do care, i care to know the truth, if acorn is dirty then i want to know, i am not happy just to sit back and presume that they must be innocent because of who they support, if there are accusations of corruption then we need to know, either to damn them or exonorate them. not sure what you dont understand about that...

[bobbolink]

19. That is sooo tired. You are in the market for a new playbook.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

18. They seem to have already been tried, convicted, and sentenced

on the basis of "videos" produced by RW dirty tricksters intent on smearing an organization that does a lot of good for a lot of poor and low-income persons. I'm all for accountability but it just really irks me when *OUR* organizations are the ones that are always held to a MUCH higher standard than RW organizations and affiliated businesses that do WAAAAAAAAAY worse s**t than allegedly providing *advice* to a couple of RW hacks on how to skirt tax and immigration laws based on a completely fraudulent premise that the hacks set up to try to smear the organization with. I'm sick of witnessing just how easily our Democratic representatives in Congress meekly submit to the RW even when THEY control Congress and how they always seem too timid to stand up and oppose the REPUBLICON agenda in Congress and/or throw the book at a rogue Republican *commander-in-chief* who blew up and invaded a f*****g COUNTRY on what was trumped-up and manipulated intelligence and/or flat-out LIES, shredded our constitution, and, worst of all- for the first time in the history of our country, SANCTIONED and DEFENDED the use of TORTURE. Yet most of our Democratic representatives, along with the regrettably still-relevant Republican MINORITY, screamed and howled for accountability and punishment for the last Democratic POTUS (Clinton) when we all found out he apparently lied under oath about a consensual affair with another adult in the WH or for the swift defunding of a left-leaning organization- some of whose lower-level operatives might have made some questionable decisions but whose actions were NOT sanctioned by its leaders. I suppose it IS just *easier* to demonize and defund a group like ACORN rather than demand that the federal government investigate and sever contracts with outfits like KBR/Halliburton and Blackwater despite the fact that both of these outfits have done far worse and bled us dry of so much more money than an organization like ACORN would see in a million years. But that doesn't make it right nor just. Just for once I'd like to see the criminal corporate syndicates that support and enable the Republicans thoroughly investigated for all of their wrongdoing and for them to be swiftly defunded just like they apparently thought was important enough to do to ACORN.

*UGH!!!* I HATE the double standards we apparently have to play by!!!

:argh: :rant:

[drm604]

3. So now our tax dollars are being used to investigate ACORN.

This nonsense is not only hurting ACORN and ACORN employees, it's now wasting the time of our tax payer supported public employees.

Republicans using our tax supported Justice Department to further their smears. I thought we won the election. :grr:

[bobbolink]

6. Unfortunately, I think an investigation now has to happen in order to clear their name.

Republicans using our tax dollars to strengthen the country.

:nuke:

[spanone]

10. has it been PROVEN that acorn has done ANYTHING ILLEGAL??? seems they're already guilty

[drm604]

13. So far the only ones who appear to have possibly done something illegal

are the guys who made the videos.