Harry Reid Rejects GOP Call for ACORN Hearings

[babylonsister]

Reid Rejects GOP Call for ACORN Hearings
By Kathleen Hunter, CQ Staff


Majority Leader Harry Reid rebuffed a Republican request that he call Senate hearings and an investigation into recent allegations against the scandal-tainted community organizing group ACORN.

Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday that he would not ask the Senate committee chairmen or Congress “to do anything that would distract from efforts to address” health care, climate change, an overhaul of the nation’s financial regulatory system and oversight of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Reid made the comments in letters to 28 Republican senators, who had asked for the investigation into the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

The liberal-leaning group has faced heavy criticism following the release last week of a video showing ACORN employees apparently advising a couple, posing as a prostitute accompanied by her pimp, about how to conceal their line of work, evade taxes and handle undocumented, under-age sex workers.

Reid called the actions of ACORN employees and contractors captured on the video “shocking” and said he shared the concerns voiced by Republican senators.

But Reid noted that federal and state authorities are investigating ACORN and warned about politicizing such probes. “I am sure you would join me in praising the effectiveness, honest intentions and impartiality of our nation’s law enforcement communities and inspectors general,” he said.

more...

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000003207640

[bluestateguy]

1. The GOP can hold fake hearings in the basement of the Capitol

with no subpoena power, televised on C-SPAN 3.

[havocmom]

4. Good. Do we turn the lights out at 3?

:hi:

[Forkboy]

7. Somebody lock them in.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. Good for Harry

Keep that stiff spine up! Keep the focus where it belongs! :thumbsup:

[Mz Pip]

3. "distract from the efforts to address"

health care.

Right Harry. How's that working out? You're not helping either.

The Republicans are politicizing ACORN. Having an investigation just might clear ACORN.

Harry Reid is the most ineffectual Majority Leader I have ever seen.

[csziggy]

5. Have hearing with the first witnesses O'Keefe and his "hooker" friend(s)

And the complete, unedited videos from every single ACORN office they visited. After the complete record is viewed, then decide who is in the wrong. I suspect that the ACORN employees will not look criminal without the editing.

[Mz Pip]

6. That's my take on it.

But none of this will hit the mainstream without an investigation or review.

[lpbk2713]

8. I'm hoping we learned from Whitewater

... and all the other Clinton era GOP inspired witch hunting bullshit that did nothing
but waste time and money while there were many other things more worthy of the effort.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Let's have a hearing on all the Chambers of Commerce

and how they find any way they can to screw the public in favor of the corporate bottom line. Should be much more "there" there.

[drm604]

10. I like that last paragraph.

But Reid noted that federal and state authorities are investigating ACORN and warned about politicizing such probes. “I am sure you would join me in praising the effectiveness, honest intentions and impartiality of our nation’s law enforcement communities and inspectors general,” he said.

He's basically daring the "law and order" and "state's rights" party to criticize the effectiveness and intentions of local law enforcement agencies by continuing to press for a Congressional investigation.

[HillbillyBob]

11. When are we going to get hearings and investigation into the

ELECTION Fraud perpetrated against the people in 2000 and 2004?

[Mudoria]

12. Fine but if we do that then we need to do the same with Haliburton..

[CanonRay]

13. Harry got it right for once.