Sen. Richard Shelby calls for 'immediate' investigation of ACORN
In an open letter to the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican from Alabama, has called for an "an immediate and thorough investigation" into the activities of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN.
ACORN, which describes itself as "the nation's largest community organization of low and moderate income families," has long been a favorite target of conservative commentators, including Glenn Beck of Fox News. Last week, Fox News and biggovernment.com posted several videos of a pair of journalists posing as a pimp and a prostitute. On the videos, ACORN employees are shown allegedly offering their help to the two undercover journalists.
That incident – along with a spate of arrest warrants issued for 11 Florida voter registration workers employed by ACORN – was part of the impetus behind a Senate move to block Housing and Urban Development grants from going to ACORN. Now, Sen. Shelby is pushing for a fuller investigation of the group.
"While [the Senate] vote is important, it is limited in scope and we must know more," Shelby said, according to ABC News. "It is imperative that we proceed immediately to investigate what appears to be ACORN’s stunning disregard for the law and abuse of taxpayer funds. Such an investigation would serve as the basis for determining not only whether ACORN is worthy of receiving other federal funds this year, but ever again.”
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Steele lashes out at House Dems
On the House rebuke of South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says Democrats are guilty of “stunning…. hypocrisy.”
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