| June 29, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink
As
questions mount about the scandal-tarnished Association of Community
Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) – a group that has received
millions from the federal government, in spite of accusations of voter
fraud and other illicit activities – House Democrats have abandoned
plans for a bipartisan investigation into the left-wing “community
organizing” outfit. Last week the Washington Times reported that Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) confirmed such an investigation would not happen, explaining that the “powers that be decided against it.” Who exactly are the “powers that be”?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)? Other Democratic leaders? The
Administration? As the plot thickened, these questions were
highlighted in a Fox News Special Report segment last Friday: 
Click HERE for Full Video
| HOST BRET BAIER:
“House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers no longer plans to
investigate the association of community organizations for Reform Now,
known as ACORN.” “The Michigan
Democrat bucked party leaders when he called for hearings on voter
fraud accusations against ACORN. ‘The Washington Times’ reports
Conyers now says, quote, ‘The powers that be decided against it.’” “He
did not say who those powers are, however. A spokesman for House
Minority Leader John Boehner says Conyers, quote, ‘has a responsibility
to explain who is blocking this investigation and why. Is it Speaker
Pelosi, others in the Democratic leadership? Who in Congress is
covering up ACORN's corruption?’ A Conyers’ spokesman later said
Conyers had been referring to him as the powers that be.” | With
a bipartisan investigation shelved by Democrats and accusations of
voter fraud still unanswered, House Republicans – led by the House
Census Task Force – are sounding the alarm about ACORN’s attempts to
play a role in the 2010 Census. The Wall Street Journal reports: | “Some
Republican members of Congress want the U.S. Census Bureau to end a
2010 Census partnership with Acorn, the community organizing group that
was hit by accusations of voter-registration fraud in the 2006 and 2008
elections.” “Acorn, the Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now, signed up in February with the
bureau to be a ‘2010 Census Partner,’ which includes, among other
things, identifying job candidates, encouraging its members to
participate in the count and distributing literature explaining the
importance of the census.” “But in the
wake of accusations that some former Acorn employees engaged in voter
registration fraud in the 2006 and 2008 elections, the partnership
isn’t sitting well with some Republicans on Capitol Hill who worry that
Acorn could skew results. There’s a lot at stake since the census is
used to dole out money to states and localities and to allocating seats
in the U.S. House of Representatives.” |
As
ACORN seeks to play a role in the critical 2010 Census, don’t taxpayers
deserve a full look into how this group has operated and used taxpayer
dollars in the past, particularly in light of serious accusations
against it? Don’t the American people deserve to know who killed the
bipartisan ACORN investigation – and why? |
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