ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) has long been a target for conservative organizations and one such organization has released this video purportedly shown ACORN’s Baltimore office assisting two investigators posing as a prostitute and a pimp in getting federal assistance for a brothel.
The investigation was launched by BigGovernment.com, which ACORN says tried the same pitch at various offices unsuccessfully. On the video, James O’Keefe, a 25-year-old independent filmmaker, poses as a pimp with a 20-year-old woman named “Kenya” who posed as a prostitute.
On the videotape, “Kenya” tells an ACORN staffer that she earns roughly $8,000 a month. The ACORN employee then suggests to “Kenya” that ACORN could submit a tax return for 2008 showing that she made $9,600 for the entire year rather than $96,000 — and that ACORN would prepare the forms for a small fee. It is also suggested that she claim to be a “performing artist” rather than a prostitute on the tape, even though the pimp says “It’s not dancing, trust me.” The ACORN employees are heard noting that prostitution is illegal. However, they continue to advise the couple on how to file papers even after they say that they want to bring underaged girls into the city from another country.
The organization supplies the whole transcript here.
Obviously, ACORN is a large organization and can claim that these are rogue employees, even if this tape is proven to be legitimate. Indeed, in an update, the employees have now been fired. I assume this organization would not run a doctored tape since it would invite a defamation lawsuit. However, this tape will likely rekindle the efforts to secure an investigation into ACORN’s activities. ACORN continues to deal with such controversies, here and here with additional charges today.
[UPDATE: ACORN has fired the two employees on the tape, here].
Republicans have been complaining that Democratic leadership has blocked efforts to investigate ACORN despite its involvement in voting controversies. Judiciary Chairman John Conyers is quoted as saying that “the powers that be” in Congress quashed any investigation by his Committee, here.
UPDATE
APNewsBreak: 4 charged in La. senator phone scheme
NEW ORLEANS – A conservative activist who has caused problems for the community organizing group ACORN and the son of a federal prosecutor were among four people arrested and accused of trying to interfere with phones at U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office.
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Using a hidden camera, O’Keefe, accompanied by a young woman posing as a prostitute, shot videos in various ACORN offices where staffers appeared to offer illegal tax advice and to support the misuse of public funds and illegal trafficking in children.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100126/ap_on_re_us/us_senator_s_office_arrests
2 things seem obvious here:
1) The GOP is trying to throw anything & everything (including the kitchen sink) to distract the public from what President Obama is trying to do. They’re trying to push their agenda, making him look like he “pals around with terrorists,” or, at the very least, criminals. They did the same thing with then-President Clinton. I hope this admin. is smart enough to see their sleazy tactic & not bite the bait.
2) If this were true, so what? Let’s investigate all the illegal loop holes that politicians & corporations use. What’s that 7 miles island where hundreds of businesses are supposedly operated from? This is shocking to the American public because the individuals are black & not rich. How many blinked an eye at the Abramoff scandal? Case in point.
And I agree, the 2 employees should be terminated.
bdaman, i see what you mean. guilty by association. right. like ACORN is some gigantic group larger than say, the DNC or DCCC, or the freakin dailykos. give me a break
doesn’t matter the outcome remains the same.
hey bdaman, McCain supported ACORN too
The Government breaks ties with ACORN. Way to go Glen Beck
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/11/census-bureau-severs-ties-acorn/
Because it says FACTCHECK it must be a fact. Got it.
If anyone’s interested in the facts:
The Stimulus Bill and ACORN
Faulty Logic
Boehner and Vitter commit two logical fallacies. Their argument has the form:
1. The stimulus bill provides funding for redeveloping neighborhoods.
2. ACORN does work in redeveloping neighborhoods.
3. Therefore the stimulus bill provides funding for ACORN.
That’s an example of what philosophers call the undistributed middle fallacy.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=glen+beck+acorn+youtube&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
One of Barack Obama’s first big “community organizer” jobs involved ACORN in 1992. Obama also trained ACORN employees. He represented ACORN in court. Obama worked with and protested with ACORN. His campaign donated $800,000 to ACORN this year for voter registration efforts.
And, ACORN even canvassed for Obama this year.
It looks like ACORN’s hard work paid off.
Democrats funneled $8.5 billion of taxpayer money to the corrupt ACORN Organization this year.
Earlier this year democrats voted to fund groups like ACORN.
Glenn Beck will literally poo himself over this. Then my only comfort will be knowing he had to wait until break to change himself.
Three words that agree with the majority:
Suspect Production Values
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1224631.html
A little to slick for me,as unslick as it is trying to present itself to be.
Nal,
You hit it. That was what I was trying to say.
Tim in SF,
I think you make a valid point. Foxx
Is the film maker claiming institutional corruption? Because what I see are two gullible employees who are getting played by a con artist. If I had a pushy con artist dressed like a pimp in my office, I might be willing to give them any advice I could just to get them the hell out.
The women in this video obviously should be fired. However, it is about as fair to tarnish all of ACORN for the actions of these two employees as it is to tarnish all the United States military for the actions of Charles Graner and Lynndie England.
The film maker does a great job with creative editing and sound effects and scary black text bullet points. He has a long, promising career ahead of him at Fox News.
Something about this story seems squirrelly.
This is created by the producers of whom? It makes no sense that the camera could move around the room at the ease that it did to have any validity. Come on do white pimps stand up and be counted. Do you really ear that garb?
It’s sadly true that there are many shady organizations involved in politics. These kinds of groups are going to have many people working there who either through malice or incompetence are going to engage in unethical behavior and operate under an agenda of their own rather than their actual stated purpose… Take the US Senate for example.
mother f….., I have been using the wrong accountant. Thank god they posted that womans name and phone number. I am defintely using her next year for both personal and corporate taxes.
I have a new found respect for ACORN!