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10.01.2008 0

The ACORN House of Cards

  • On: 10/20/2008 12:37:37
  • In: Stop ACORN!

  • “These AHC affidavits are further evidence in a growing litany of potentially illegal abuses of taxpayer dollars by ACORN and AHC. Members of Congress, who recently doled out millions of dollars to these groups in the housing bailout bill, need to ask some serious questions to ensure that those taxpayer dollars are being spent properly and not illegally supporting political activity, or being squandered by an organization with an already checkered past of voter fraud and embezzlement.”—James Terry, Chief Public Advocate, Consumer Rights League.

    It appears that ACORN’s house of cards is beginning to fall.

    Former employees are now coming forward from ACORN and the Acorn Housing Corporation (AHC) with incriminating affidavits “that attest to ACORN and AHC’s illegal practice of using taxpayer dollars to fund political activity.”

    The allegations include:

    • “AHC and ACORN were at one time being funded from a joint account, which would appear to violate the same laws highlighted by the AmeriCorps Inspector General in 1994.
    • “According to a former ACORN board member and AHC employee, AHC — which received taxpayer money — directly used funds to support ACORN activities, including paying for rent at an office where AHC was not even a tenant.
    • “Perhaps most troubling, the sworn statement of former AHC staffer Andrew Johnson suggests AHC leadership pressured employees to intentionally hide information from HUD investigators.”

    Obviously, tax dollars ought not to be used for political purposes, as it is very corrupt for legislators to earmark funds for organizations that then turn around and line the coffers of the very politicians who allocated the money or advance their political interests.

    According to the Wall Street Journal, the organization’s political wing “is co-managing a $15.9 million campaign with the group Project Vote to register 1.2 million low-income Hispanics and African-Americans, who are among those most likely to vote Democratic.” It is unclear how much in taxpayer funds have been diverted to these sorts of operations.

    According to the affidavit of Andrew Johnson:

    “1. AHC and ACORN are supposed to be independent organizations. ACORN cannot receive funds to operate from AHC because they are a political group and political organizations are not permitted under law to receive government funds.

    “2. I have knowledge that AHC has funded and continues to fund ACORN.

    “3. I am in possession of several E-mails that clearly show that AHC and ACORN have co-mingled funds over a period of many years.

    “4. On October 13, 2006 I was present a regional AHC meeting where Lez Trujillo, AHC National Field Director, stated that as of that point in time AHC and ACORN would be funded out of the same account.

    And from the affidavit of Glenda Kizee:

    “An internal AHC email dated September 18, 2004 in particular shows that AHC received a government FHIP grant in the amount of $650,000.00. The E-mail states that this money would be well spent by AHC and ACORN to support dual initiatives.”

    For its part, the Consumer Rights League is calling upon Congress to investigate and if necessary defund the AHC to prevent taxpayer funds from being allocated to support political activities, and also voter fraud and embezzlement.

    For an organization that gets 40 percent of its funding from the government, losing that valuable source would certainly begin to bring down its house of cards.


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