Ignorance Is Bliss: “ACORN Is Not A Major National Issue”
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says there should be an investigation into the hidden-camera video involving employees at the activist group ACORN and a couple posing as a prostitute and her pimp.
The two ACORN workers are seen apparently advising the couple to lie about her profession and launder her earnings to get housing aid.
The video is only the latest problem for the group, which had nearly $1 million embezzled by its founder’s brother and has been accused of voter registration fraud. The House and Senate voted last week to deny federal funds to ACORN.
Obama told ABC’s “This Week” in an interview broadcast Sunday that what he saw on the video “was certainly inappropriate and deserves to be investigated.” But the president did not say who should investigate. And he said it is not a major national issue he pays much attention to.
“Frankly, it’s not really something I’ve followed closely,” Obama said. “I didn’t even know that ACORN was getting a whole lot of federal money.”
Asked about the president calling for an investigation, ACORN chief executive Bertha Lewis said Sunday, “Well, that’s his opinion.”
ACORN said last week it would order its own investigation of the video scandal. Lewis, who had promised to name an independent auditor by Friday, told “Fox News Sunday” that the announcement would take place Monday. She would not reveal the auditor.
Later Sunday, Lewis issued a statement saying, “We agree with President Obama’s comments today that issues raised by the videos need to be investigated.”
In the meantime, the group has suspended the admission of new clients to its housing program.
“Over the next several weeks, you will see us working triple time to get this review right so that we can refocus attention on ACORN’s critical work for low- and moderate-income families,” Lewis said in the statement.
The government is investigating ACORN’s activities, though the scope of its activity is unknown. Voter registration fraud cases involving ACORN workers are pending. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s inspector general has acknowledged an investigation is under way.
ACORN—short for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now—started in 1970 in Arkansas to help the poor and today is a national, multimillion-dollar conglomerate. ACORN’s political action committee endorsed Obama for president, and his campaign paid an ACORN subsidiary $832,000 to help get out the vote.
Obama, himself a former community organizer, has long-standing ties to the group, which he represented in 1995 in a lawsuit against the state of Illinois over the “motor-voter” law.
The group’s Democratic leanings and political work have make it a target of Republicans, who led the drive last week to deny it any further federal funds.
California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, pressed Lewis to reveal more about the group’s operations.
“The bottom line is, there’s no transparency in ACORN,” said Issa, who also was on Fox.
“Here we have literally hundreds of organizations tied under the ACORN umbrella, and you can’t even find out what their incorporation is, whether they pay taxes, who makes what,” Issa said.
Lewis said she has made sure, since becoming chief executive last year, that affiliates have “firewalls” between them. “I’ve completely overhauled all of our finances, all of our controls,” she said.
She also said founder Wade Rathke was fired immediately after it was discovered his brother, Dale, stole nearly $1 million from the organization nine years ago. In fact, Wade Rathke learned of the embezzlement in 2000, told only a few people but failed to report the embezzlement to law enforcement. An anonymous donor compensated the group for the missing money.
(AP)
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When Obama said he did not know that ACORN was receiving a whole lot of federal money, Obama LIED.
he is a lying mother f—er. and should be held accountable.what i would pay to see him doing the perp walk.
“not a major issue” eh?
Can’t wait for Barry’s “I am not a crook” speech.
It’s coming.
I believe the national(ized) media will follow him all the way down to hell.
I believe you are correct, Sir.
The media who got him elected will never admit they were wrong. He will protect them with equal admiration, they feed off each other.
Opps he did it again…
1992 Mr. Obama lead Project Vote for ACORN
1993 Helped ACORN obtain funding from the Woods Fund of Chicago
1994 Served as an attorney for ACORN in Buycks-Roberson v. Citbank Federal Savings
1995 sued the State of Illinois on behalf of ACORN.
2007 speech to ACORN, promised the group would have input into shaping the next Presidency.
2008 paid to Citizens Services, Inc 832,598, for get out the vote projects. Citizens Services, offshoot for ACORN.
No he knows NOTHING on how ACORN recevies monies.
Very concise, Wax. Thank you for the consolidated timeline.
Chicago Acorn and the SEIU health care share the same 3rd floor office space go figure joined at the head like conjoinned twins both share the beating heart of corruption its just cutting them apart to kill both of them is the real trick!
The office in New Orleans also shows ACORN and SEIU on the front of the building. They are connected as well as many others intertwined to take over when another goes down.
How the hell can Obama say he didn’t think they were getting lot of govt $ with a straight face.
This man has no integrity.
Anyone supporting this is corrupt or confused.
Lying sack of Kenyan shit
Billy
He has no credibility left. He blew his whole wad on Polish missile jokes.
The guy is so full of himself he thinks and live in the moment, it’s like you have no memory with this creep.
that smirk he was wearing says” im lying and you know it but whose gonna call me on it?”..
no one apparently….
get your shit in one sock people
Obama said. “I didn’t even know that ACORN was getting a whole lot of federal money.”
He lies!!!
Not something he pays much attention to?
I bet they were all on the phone every day during the campaign…his operatives or him at some point.
Are you kidding me?
These are his peeps.
- Richard Milhous Obongo
Everybody sing!….
The wheels on Obama’s bus go acorn squish, acorn squish, acorn squish.
The wheels on Obama’s go acorn squish, presidential pardon if you don’t make a sound.
Vote on Fox!!
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/09/21/congress-subpoena-acorn/
Thats because his wife is in up to her neck in ACORN trash.
She is ACORN. ACORN is her.
Has anyone noticed Mooochelle’s complexion is getting whiter and whiter? If you look up her old photos, she is blacker than the ace of spades and her latest photos and speech about healthcare, she is atleast 4 shades lighter…like she rolled around on the chalk lines at a football field.
PLUS, she sported two belts that looked like something she picked up at the ammo dump and that hold 50 calibers. Maybe she is getting ready to go to Afghanistan!
Yes she is ACORN and as corrupt as them too. They both LIE and if they think people don’t notice, they are delusional.
Obama t-shirt quote of the day: “Thank You Jesus! We never would have made it … “. STOP right there … Jesus had nothing to do with this shit being elected.
[...] Pat Dollard - Ignorance Is Bliss: “ACORN Is Not A Major National Issue” [...]
ACORN contract for advising firefighters?
http://www.thedeadpelican.com/daveacorn.pdf
Vitter blasts away